Breaking Hearts & Making Changes
by NeoNails
Summary: Warren/Layla. Guess who's been crowned Queen of the Homecoming Committee? Layla, of course. But that's not half as bad as having to deal with a newly minted ex-boyfriend, a budding relationship with his best friend, and a new evildoer to boot.
1. Those Damned Miniskirts

This isn't my first Sky High fic. This is just the first one I've liked enough to post. You'll probably see a few more sometime soon, but I want to see how receptive you guys are to this one first. Because I'm an artist and I'm _sensitive_.

…ha.

**Rating:** Teen. I curse, and while Layla's not as foul-mouthed as I, the third-person narrative does tend to reflect that now and again.

**Summary:** It's been a year since the chaos at Homecoming, and with their sophomore year just beginning, relationships are thrown into question, and a new Homecoming dance guarantees a fresh change from last year… or does it?

**Pairing:** Will/Layla initially, but Warren/Layla eventually. (Plus Magenta/Zach, and Ethan/O.C.- chill, she's not a Mary Sue. She's normal. Have faith.)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sky High. Big deal. I just write the stuff.

4

Where's Stronghold again?"

Layla glanced up distractedly from her notebook. Warrren was sitting in one of the metal fold-out chairs next to her in Sky High's large gymnasium, waiting for the Principal Powers to make her announcement. Everyone in the school had been packed into the gym, all sitting in the uncomfortable metal chairs and all chattering away with one another.

"Will's off with his parents- apparently there's some kind of mad scientist that's been let loose in Argentina. He's wreaking all sorts of havoc, and the Stronghold Three were appointed by the United Nations to go down there and stop him."

"When's Will gonna man up and tell his dad that he wants to be his own superhero?" Magenta asked observantly. She sat on Layla's opposite side, with Zach dutifully right next to her and Ethan next to him.

It was no accident that Warren was sitting away from the rest of the "sidekicks." Even though they all had bonded after defeating Royal Pain not a year ago, Warren was still just as antisocial as ever. He really only liked Will and Layla; he could handle Magenta and Zach and Ethan, he just preferred not to.

"Stronghold's never gonna man up," Warren muttered under his breath. Even though he was a junior now, hanging out with a bunch of sophomores, he still managed to keep up that brooding, angry façade.

Layla shot Warren a dirty look. "Be nice," she mouthed to him. Out loud, she said, "Besides, we only have to be here long enough for Principal Powers to introduce the new round of freshman."

Warren grumbled (no doubt a colorful array of expletives) and slumped in his chair. Shooting her a side glance, he asked Layla, "Hey, hippie, what're you doing?"

She sighed, then scribbled out one of the notes she was writing in her lime green notebook. "I'm going to be on the homecoming committee this year- everyone didn't want it to be a fiasco like last year," she explained with a small smile, recalling the disastrous Gwen Grayson/Sue Tenny/Royal Pain and her Pacifier. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, "Actually, I'm not just on the homecoming committee. I'm the president."

Warren arched his eyebrows. "Your boyfriend know about this?" he asked suspiciously.

Layla's cheeks reddened, and replied quietly, "I didn't want to bother him. He's been really stressed out about his parents. He doesn't know how he's going to tell his parents about his plans post-graduation."

Will had decided, after many late-night discussions with Layla, that he was going to become his own superhero after they graduated from Sky High in two years. He had also told Ethan, Warren, and Zach, the lattermost of whom had happily informed Magenta of this plan.

"You know, the whole point of him confiding in you is that, every once in a while, you return the favor," Warren replied pointedly, carefully taking the notebook out of her hands.

He scanned the page, a sneer forming on his face. "'Black and White Ball?' 'Under the Sea?' _'Enchanted Forest?'_" He looked up at her in revulsion. "What _is_ this crap?"

Layla snatched the notebook out of Warren's hands and shot him a dirty look. "Everyone decided that they wanted to make the Homecoming dance into our prom- y'know, because we don't actually _have_ a prom. So, before we do anything, we need to decide on a, um, theme."

"_Enchanted Forest_?" He repeated dubiously.

Layla opened her mouth, hesitated, and then nodded. "That was one suggestion. But I, ah, was thinking of something more original."

Warren rolled his dark eyes at his friend's hesitation. "Alright," he said exasperatedly. "Lay it on me, hippie."

Layla fiddled with her green ink ballpoint pen, then mumbled quickly under her breath, "I was thinking about… maybe… seeing if we could… have the theme be… a masquerade?"

She searched his face for a reaction, and, seeing none, went back to stare down at her notebook nervously. When she had initially thought of the idea, she was ecstatic. She had visions of the auditorium being done up in white lights, with vines snaking up the walls and a soft glow over the entire room. The tables would be cloaked in deep red tablecloths that hit the floor, and the chairs would have gold tapestries wrapped around the backs. Everything would look warm and old-fashioned and everyone would be wearing masks and…

"Hey, I don't care," Warren replied drily, successfully snapping Layla out of her wonderful reverie. "It's not like I'm going."

"What?!" Layla exclaimed loudly, staring at him with big brown eyes. She barelu even noticed the dozen or so people that had turned around to stare at her. "You can't not go to Homecoming! I'm doing this for my friends!"

At her sudden and- in his opinion- uncalled for outburst, a smirk had wormed its way onto his face, tugging one corner of his mouth upward. "So?" he retorted stubbornly.

Punching him on the arm, she snapped, "_So_ you're my friend! You _have_ to go to Homecoming, Warren."

"Uhh, no, no I don't." He crossed his arms over his chest and slumped lower in his chair.

Layla stared the hothead down. "Yes, yes you do," she said seriously. Seeing an opportunity in the making, she switched gears and wheedled, "Besides, don't you want to take Jenna?"

After they had saved the superhero world from a certain conversion in a super-villain world, and Layla and Will had finally admitted their true feelings, Warren had hooked up with a girl in his grade who could control ice, Jenna Frost.

"I'm not going with her," Warren informed her coldly. "Now be quiet, hippie. You're prettier when you're mouth is shut."

Stunned, Layla could do nothing but blink dumbly at backhanded compliment. She kept quiet, as she was told, and sat back in her seat.

She sat there, confused as all hell. In a backwards kind of way, Warren had just admitted she was pretty. That in itself wasn't anything really special, though it was pretty flattering, but the problem was, it brought up way too many questions to mind.

Ever since the summer started, Will spent nearly all of his free time with his parents, busy saving the world and making everyone's lives safer. And Layla didn't mind. After all, she was a good girlfriend, and she knew Will was doing something he loved: helping people.

And, on nights when Magenta was on a date with Zach and Ethan was hanging with _his_ girlfriend (a regular citizen that lived next door to him), Layla would go to the Paper Lantern. This was usually during the weekend, on Friday and Saturday nights. Layla was okay with that, too. It was then that she could order some really good Chinese food and wait for the dinner crowd to thin out so she could talk freely with Warren while he cleaned tables.

Hey, it beat hanging out with her mom while she talked to animals.

As it turned out, Layla ended up spending several of her Friday and Saturday nights at the Paper Lantern. To the point where she just considered a ritual during her weekend. Help her mom at the Animal Shelter, see the Adam Sandler movie with Magenta, Zach, and Ethan, and finish the day at the Paper Lantern with Warren.

There were a few weekends when Will would be able to break away from his parents long enough to actually take his loyal girlfriend out on a date or two. But those were getting to be few and far between, what with his already hectic schedule. It was only two weeks into the school year, and Will had only been there for about four of the ten days.

Not that Layla would ever complain. Will was her best friend. And boyfriend. He had one of the toughest jobs in the country, and it was only natural for him to be out of the picture every so often. Layla understood this.

So why did this thing with Warren suddenly get her so wound up? And, furthermore, why was it that she wanted Warren to go to Homecoming so bad? This was Warren. If he didn't want to do something, it would be like pulling teeth to get him to do otherwise.

Okay, that didn't make any sense. And it wasn't even all that true. Warren wasn't all that stubborn. Well, he was, but he was usually pretty complacent when around Layla. He never was truly _purposefully_ difficult with her. That was why she expected him to go to Homecoming, no problem. Why start putting up a fight now?

Why did it bother her so much? Warren was his own person. He could make his own decisions! It wasn't up to her to make him be social.

That wasn't right, either. She genuinely _liked_ making him be social. She was actually pretty damn proud whenever Warren had a nice conversion with Zach without growling or making threats. So of course she would want Warren to come to Homecoming and continue to be social with their friends.

And still, she hadn't found an answer. And, dammit, why did that 'pretty' thing keep popping up in her head?

Warren didn't mean it when he said she was pretty. He was just making a flippant comment to distract her and get her off of the topic of Jenna.

And Jenna… why did Layla feel a tiny sense of victory when he told her that he had no intentions of going to Homecoming with Jenna? She had no problems with the Ice Queen… On the contrary, Layla kind of liked her. She was nice, in a distant kind of way.

But Jenna was the least of her worries. No, Layla had a feeling this was less about Jenna and Homecoming and more about Warren and herself.

There was definitely something wonky going on with her hormones. That had to be it. Why else would her gaze automatically drop down to his bulging biceps whenever Warren crossed his arms over his chest?

Whoa. She did _not_ just admit that.

Tugging at the collar of her mint green cardigan, Layla leaned over and whispered to Magenta, "Is it just me or does it feel kind of stuffy in here?"

Zach, who had overheard her, leaned passed his girlfriend to shoot Layla a quizzical look of surprise. "Dude, what are you talking about?" he asked. "It's freezing in here!"

"Oh," Layla said distractedly, sinking back into her seat. Despite Zach's earnest assurance that it was, indeed, an icebox in the gym, Layla unbuttoned and removed her cardigan, leaving her in a cream tank top she had decided on this morning as an undershirt. With her cardigan, the dark jean miniskirt, matched with a pair of eco-friendly pale green espadrilles looked sweet and cute. However, she realized belatedly, once she took off the cardigan, the spaghetti-strap tank and mini showed off a lot more skin than she was typically comfortable.

But at least Layla didn't feel as stuffy. She took this moment to lean down and grab the tortoise shell clip she had attached to the strap of her biodegradable handbag and quickly twist her straight coppery hair at the base of her neck and secure it with her clip.

That was better. She felt comfortable, enough that she could focus on her Homecoming plans and not on any pesky hormones that she may or may not have to deal with _later_.

She turned to a fresh page in her notebook, and it was only then that she was aware that she was being observed. Tilting her head, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Warren was eyeing her with a look she had never seen before. Curious, she pretended as though she hadn't noticed anything and stared at the blank page, hoping for inspiration.

She jotted down a few notes for what would be absolutely necessary, regardless of the theme. A DJ, obviously, along with food and drinks. But what kind? Snack food, like crackers and chips, or better stuff, like fancy hor d'oeurves and mini quiches?

Warren was still staring! Okay, it wasn't totally obvious. Actually it was hardly even noticeable, but Layla _did_ notice it. And she was starting to think she recognized the look.

Okay, she was being flat-out preposterous. She was projecting her feelings or emotions or something onto other people and was imagining this crap. Right? That's what a therapist would say, right?

That was it. She _had_ to know. There was only one way she could tell.

Stifling a yawn, Layla sat up from her seat and arched her back, letting her arms stretch towards the ceiling while straightening her legs from their confinement in the small space.

Smoothly, mid-yawn, Layla snuck a peek at Warren. Well. She'd b damned. She was right. She wasn't nuts.

No, no. She _had_ to be imagining this. Okay. One more test.

Pushing a lock of red hair behind her ear, Layla sat back in place, 'focusing' on her notebook. As she did, she continued to settle into her seat, crossing her legs primly as she uncapped her pen to scribble down a few more ideas.

Once more, Layla glanced over at Warren. She really_ was_ right.

That was just weird.

Leaning over, Layla whispered to him, "Warren?"

He grunted unintelligibly, staring deadest at Principal Powers, who was just beginning to walk up to the podium.

"You know, it's very inappropriate to stare at your friend's legs like that," she said innocently, staring at the principal as well. After a few seconds, she looked over at Warren, unable to contain the wry grin that was forming. He glowered down at her, daring her to say something more.

After a few seconds had passed, Warren finally broke their stare down to give Layla's legs a once-over once more. "It's not my fault they make really short skirts anymore."

Layla chuckled under her breath, letting her leg slide down to cross at the ankles just as Principal Powers began her speech. So what if she didn't have all the answers to all of her questions. At least she still had a sense of humor, and her friends.

That was good enough for now.

4

**I liked it!**

**Kinda.**

**I think this deserves a chapter 2, or at least a one shot that expanded on this.**

(Note: Everything in bold was my original Author's Notes after the chapter. For all five of you that have actually read this and liked it, you should know that I started this out as an oneshot that turned into a chaptered story. Don't worry. I've already finished it, so there will be no frustratingly long pauses in between chapters. I'll be posting a new chapter every couple of days.)


	2. Questions & Answers

Told you I'd be back soon! I appreciate your support- I got three story alrerts within the first 24 hours alone! But, even still, only one review? :( I love you guys, and you must've liked my story (so far)... so show your support!

Please? :)

4

Layla was happy.

That wasn't really anything special to report, but it was nice all the same.

She was spending one of her rare moments with her boyfriend, Will Stronghold. Yes, _the_ Will Stronghold. The one that saved all the super-heroes-and-villains-to-be at Sky High last year. The one that defeated the heinous Royal Pain, who had intended on using her weapon, the Pacifier, to turn all of the world's heroes and villains into babies, so she could make them into just plain humans. The one that became the school's hero, after changing everyone back to their rightful age(s).

Oh, right. And the one that she happened to be dating.

It was a Friday night, and like on most Friday nights they spent together, Layla and Will had just come back from the latest romantic comedy with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson (she had become convinced- those two were going to be the 21st century's Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan). Now, they were spending the rest of their night at the usual hangout; the Paper Lantern. It was no coincidence that Will's best friend, Warren Peace, happened to work at the eatery. It was a great little eatery, very warm and homey, with rich red drapes and dim lights and authentic Chinese decorations.

"How was Argentina?" Layla asked, digging into her vegetable dim sum with renewed vigor.

Will and his parents had just gotten back from South America the night before. The "Stronghold Three" had saved the country from some mad scientist and saved the day once more. The world was hunky-dory yet again- for now.

"It was… alright, I guess," Will mumbled, a frown replacing the smile that had lit up his face only seconds before.

Layla dropped her own smile. Why had she asked such a stupid question? She knew the answer. Will didn't want to be a part of the Stronghold Three. He wanted to be his own superhero, but he didn't have the slightest clue how to break the news to his dad.

"I don't know what to do," Will finally muttered, staring into his half-empty glass of Coke. "My dad won't stop talking about me to all of his buddies." He then proceeded to put on a perfect imitation of his father, "'Oh, guys ya' should'a seen my boy! He's twice as strong as me when I was his age- and did Josie tell you? He can fly, too! Haha! I know! He'll make the _perfect_ addition to Stronghold Three- I'm so proud of my boy!"

She sipped from her glass of iced tea innocently, trying to find a solution to her boyfriend's dilemmas. "You're sure there's no way you can talk to him and make him see 

things your way? It _is_ your life, after all. _And_, your father started out on his own when he graduated from Sky High. You can always become the Stronghold Three a few years down the road, after you've learned more about yourself."

Will shook his head, his brows furrowing in frustration. "I know. I just don't know what to say to…" He looked up at her, trailing off as he connected the dots. "That was an example of what I should say to him, wasn't it?"

Layla smiled sweetly and nodded. "I thought your dad might appreciate the 'that's what you did when you were my age' line," she answered wisely, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Nodding, Will's face split into an ecstatic grin. "D'you mind?" he asked. "I'm gonna call him and ask him now, while I still have my nerve."

She laughed and rolled her eyes at her hopeless boyrfriend. "Of course it's fine!" she told him. "And ask now, just in case your parents haven't started eating yet."

Taking out his cellphone, Will winked at her. "That is a very good idea," he told her, sliding out of his seat opposite her in the leather-covered booth. Before he left, he gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks."

Layla beamed back and watched as he left the restaurant to go outside, in the hopes that he could get better reception outside.

When she turned back around to finish what little was left of her vegetable dim sum, she inadvertently ended up catching the eye of one hothead busboy.

"Hey, Warren," Layla said warmly, smiling up at the junior.

He glanced around the room; the dinner rush had died down, and now there were only two other couples other than Layla and Warren that were still in the restaurant. That was why Warren slid into her booth, sitting where Will had sat only moments before.

"Hey, hippie," he responded offhandedly, setting down an empty metal platter on the table. "Who'd Stronghold run off to call?"

Layla's grin grew a teensy bit wider. "He finally decided to tell his parents the truth. He doesn't want to be a part of the Stronghold Three anymore."

Warren who was, after all, Will's best friend, raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Sure that's a good conversation to have over the phone? The _Commander_ never really struck me as the kind of guy who would want to be told 'No' over the phone."

Layla shrugged helplessly. The thought had crossed her mind, but she wasn't going to kill Will's one burst of sudden confidence. "Will was afraid he'd lose his nerve if he waited to get home before breaking the news to his parents," she explained, pushing around the last bits of her food with her fork.

Warren shrugged back. "I guess then we'll just have to see it works out," he responded all too vaguely.

Layla chuckled under her breath but nodded nonetheless. "I guess we will," she agreed quietly, her eyes dropping down to eye the flame tattoos that ran up both of Warren's wrists and wrapped around his tanned, muscular forearms.

She looked up, feeling awkward and embarrassed. Of course, Warren didn't have the slightest clue of what she had been staring at, as he was busy staring off in space, looking brooding and thoughtful, as always.

Layla was fairly used to the silences she experienced with Warren. He wasn't a very talkative guy, so she was used to having to be the one to start a majority of their conversations. But when they weren't talking, she never experienced a single awkward silence with the pyrokinetic.

That had changed just a bit when, only a few days ago, she and Warren had had a 'moment' during Principal Powers's freshman orientation/introduction assembly. He had made an offhand comment about her being pretty only when quiet, and her brain might have drawn a few interesting conclusions and brought a few curious questions to the table.

Oh, and she may have caught him eyeing her legs in one of her favorite miniskirts shortly after he made the 'pretty' remark.

But, otherwise, it really wasn't anything special, and there no reason for her to be overreacting in such a way. And there certainly wasn't any reason for her to continue checking out his (admittedly) toned forearms. And biceps. And triceps. And shoulders. And-

She needed to stop thinking. She needed to stop thinking _very badly_.

Layla sighed. Honestly. What the hell was wrong with her? She had a boyfriend. A sweet, loving, honest, caring boyfriend. A boyfriend that didn't deserve her to start acting like a hormonal skank and drool all over his best friend. She was being an idiot.

Christ. She was being a hormonal idiot.

What the hell was _wrong_ with her?!

"So, I called him," Will said from behind Layla. She turned around just in time to see him, grim-faced, slide into her side of the booth. He nodded briefly to his best friend before turning to his girlfriend. "Hey, Warren- by the way, I'm about… 99 sure that I can't go back home tonight."

Will stretched out, putting a heavy arm across Layla's back. This is usually what would happen when Warren took a break and sat down to chat with his two closest friends. However, this was the first time Layla could ever honestly admit that she actually felt sort of uncomfortable showing so much affection in front of Warren.

But it wasn't like she could actually dwell on that sudden surge of emotion. She had a boyfriend to pay attention to, not some stupid, doubtlessly fleeting, feeling of awkwardness. "What do you mean?" she asked softly, looking up into Will's hazel-brown eyes. "Did your father get angry? He didn't threaten to kick you out of the house, did he?"

Warren broke eye contact first. He stared down at the lacquered wood table, and shook his head slowly, as if disgusted with himself. "No," he replied slowly, "He didn't kick me out. But I pretty sure he was practically in tears by the end of the conversation. I don't want to come home because I don't want to face both of them. I know they'll be disappointed in me, not to mention I'll have to put up with constant guilt trips until the nearby future, possibly for the rest of my life."

Layla studied the side of his face for several seconds, then risked a glance in Warren's direction. He was studying his friend as well, but his look was much more pensive and serious. She looked back at Will and asked, "Do you still want to go through with this? Do you still want to be a superhero of your own?"

Will let out a short bark of laughter, and picked up Layla's near-empty glass of iced tea. He eyed the glass, but Layla knew full-well he wasn't actually seeing the glass. He was too busy thinking to actually see everything around him.

"There isn't a damned doubt in my mind that I want to be a hero of my own," Will said passionately, setting the glass down on the table firmly. She watched, a small smile forming on her face, as he clenched his jaw, glaring down at the table, as if daring the table to doubt his motives.

"Then why are you worried?" Warren asked bluntly.

Layla's smiled grew a bit wider. Warren certainly knew how to cut the beating-around-the-bushes crap and get straight down to the truth of the matter. It was like the first conversation she had had with him, here in this same restaurant, about a year ago. This was 

before Gwen Grayson was revealed to be Royal Pain and, before that, Sue Tenny. This was also before Will had realized his true feelings for her and they had started dating. This was also when Will was still _dating_ Gwen Grayson.

Will had ditched Layla for his girlfriend, and she was left spending her night, alone, at the Paper Lantern. That is, until Warren had accidentally ran into her while on the job. She had corralled him into sitting with her, and after a good fifteen minutes of rambling about her and Will's entire life story (starting with one fast-growing lima bean), Warren had cut her off, smartly asking, "And the falling in love with him part- was that before or after the lima beans?"

And the rest, as they say, is history.

"Hell, I don't know," Will responded tiredly. "I know I want to be a hero of my own, but it's different saying it and actually taking a stand and facing the confrontation that's right in front of me."

There was a long, grave pause when no one said a word, the three too busy thinking gloomy and anxious thoughts. Will was the first to break the tense silence. "I shouldn't keep putting this off," he announced, squaring his shoulders and setting his jaw. "I'm going to go home and finally explain to my parents _why_ I can't be a part of the Stronghold Three, face to face. I've waited way too long."

Layla opened her mouth to respond- she wasn't sure exactly what she was planning to say- but Will looked over at Warren and added, "D'you mind if you walk Layla home?" he turned his head back to his openmouthed girlfriend. "Sorry, I just want to fly straight over to my house. Is that alright?"

She had to blink a few times, but finally she summoned up the words and replied, "Of course, Will. Good luck. I know your parents will understand."

He grinned back at her. "I hope so," he told her wryly. He leaned down and pressed a sweet, chaste kiss on his girlfriend's lips. He hopped out of the booth and jogged out of the Paper Lantern in a matter of seconds.

"You know, he never actually asked when, exactly, I was getting off from work."

Layla turned back around slowly, wincing. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "You really don't have to walk me home. I don't know what Will's talking about. I'll be fine on my own." To prove her point, she shot him her best brilliant smile.

"Knock off the 'cute' act, hippie," Warren ordered her impatiently. "I work here often enough that I'm sure they can let me off early this one time. Stay here."

He walked away, taking her and Will's empty plates and glasses, and yet again, Layla was left wondering what was up. Since when had life gotten so unexplainably complicated? Whatever happened to just hanging out with her friends and Will? Why did everything have to get so weird so fast?

And, for God's sake, what compelled her to stare at Warren's ass as he walked away?

Ugh. There were too many questions to answer, and she didn't want to know the answers to any of them. At this point, she just wanted to bury her head under the covers and never come out of room again. That would probably be a lot safer for everyone involved.

Layla reached down and grabbed her purse, her favorite, tattered extra-large and ridiculously bulky, over-the-shoulder handbag. She'd had that purse since the sixth grade; it was frayed, and there were even a few holes in some places. But Layla had covered up most of the wear and tears by sewing little fabric flowers in bright and cheery yellows and blues that she had bought from a local arts and crafts store.

She slung the heavy green purse over her shoulder and slid out of the booth, trying not to dwell on her irrational hormones and demented brain. She really needed to stop over-thinking every little detail. It was going to be the death of her, in the end.

"Okay, we can go now. I got the 'O.K.'"

Warren had taken off his white apron, leaving him in a black sleeveless t-shirt and dark jeans, along with the same heavy combat boots he wore every day. And she _definitely_ didn't automatically take in and admire the way that t-shirt showed off his great, muscular arms and shoulders. Oh, _no_. That would be bad.

Very, very bad.

Bad Layla.

They walked out of the Paper Lantern together, and Layla couldn't help but think of those crappy teen romantic comedies she hated but secretly loved anyway, where the chivalrous male lead would walk the clueless female lead home, where he would invariably walk to the door, and they would have to deal with the awkwardness of the (maybe?) first kiss. This was a terribly inappropriate thought, because Warren was her boyfriend's best friend. No, he was more than that. He was _her_ friend, so she had no right to continue to think of such improper things.

She needed to think about puppies. And kittens. And… her boyfriend! Yes, think about Will. How sweet and honest and _good_ Will is...

Will really didn't deserve this. She needed to stop being a spaz.

"So, what's going on in there, hippie?" Will asked as they slowly made their way down the sidewalk. "Normally you're bouncing off the walls and talking way too much. Why the sudden change?"

That was a very good question. She didn't actually know _why_ her brain had decided to pull a 180º recently and start acting so… weird. And when did that happen? She couldn't even pinpoint the actual day she started acting like such a loon.

Realizing that she still hadn't answered his question yet, Layla gave him a halfhearted shrug and told him, "I guess I just have a lot on my mind anymore. I don't mean to act so out of character, I just keep thinking too much."

"Not like I care or anything, but you wanna talk to me about any of this?" Warren asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

Layla smiled despite herself as she asked him, "Why do you continue to act as though you, quote unquote 'don't care'? You know you don't have to lie to Will and Magenta and Ethan and I. You're our friend- and, more importantly, you're _my_ friend. There's nothing wrong with showing you care about us."

"Hey," he said, sounding mock-defensive, holding up both hands in submission. "Whatever happened to talking about _your_ problems?"

"Your problems are easier to diagnose than mine," Layla replied, giggling to herself.

"I don't offer to talk about mine," Warren snapped good-naturedly.

"Neither do I," Layla shot back.

They stopped, staring each other down. Warren was much better with his "serious/angry" poker face- Layla, on the other hand, sucked. She was attempting to glare up at him, but couldn't hold back the wry grin that was worming its way onto her face.

"You're way too stubborn," Layla informed him, chuckling mostly to herself, soft brown eyes twinkling with mischief.

"You're not much better," he retorted.

There was another long pause when each dared the other to be the first to break. When nothing was said, Layla told him quietly, her smile getting a little wider, "I think we should 

just agree to disagree. I don't think either one of us has an answer to our questions, so we should probably wait it out and see what those answers turn out to be."

"I couldn't agree any more than if I was the one to suggest it," Warren responded, and stuck out his hand. "But I know you, and you'll want to know the answer know matter what. So… promise we'll each be the first to know the answer to the question?"

Layla laughed and nodded, willingly shaking his hand. "It's a deal, Mr. Peace."

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Alright, that wasn't true. It was the middle of a beautiful friendship. But it was where this friendship would 'end' that made Layla keep shaking his hand for about thirty seconds longer than she needed to.

She wasn't going to give up so easily. She hoped he would return the favor.

4

**A little corny, a little obvious, and **_**way**_** too confusing…**

**Everything I'm good at, and then some. **

**Well, I think this is a pretty good sequel to **_**Miniskirts**_**. It's starting to tie up most of the loose ends the first one left behind, but I have the strongest feeling this is going to go on a lot longer than I initially thought. I wanted the damned thing to be a one-shot, but my brain is too screwed up to ever make something like this so simple. Maybe I'll actually be able to finish this one in a semi-timely manner. Probably not, but a girl can dream, right?**

**Oh, who am I kidding? I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this, so there's a very good chance that I'll just give up in a few months.**

(Ha! I did _not_ give up in a few months! It only took me a month.

How sad is that? I don't even believe in myself…

Anyway, here's some fun trivia- I unintentionally wrote the next chapter (Chapter _Tres_) as Chapter 2, but I realized there needed to be something in between it to fill the time gap more properly, and I went back to the drawing board and came up with… this!)


	3. Racing Blood Pressure

You guys are awesome! I make one whiny comment about how reviews, and- boom! I 5 withi the first 24 hours! I love y'all!

That said, I'm sorry I didn't explain better. I ended up finishing this fic- just, at the time, I wrote notes to myself as soon as I finished a chapter, and they usually incorporated me commiserating on the fact that I royally suck at planning things out ahead of time.

But you guys had some great ideas, I'll give you that! In fact, I'd suggest writing your own fics and posting them online! It'll probably be better than half of the Mary Sue-laden crap we've got floating around here as it is...

4

"So, tell me, dear. How many fingers am I holding up?" Nurse Spex asked her newest patient holding up three fingers.

"Three. And I'm _fine_, Nurse Spex," Layla assured the sweet and ancient nurse that took care of all of the students that attended Sky High School. Currently, she had the fortune of getting to be checked out by the resident nurse.

Layla was forced to go to the nurse's office after being involved in a… tussle with a few of her other classmates. Alright, that wasn't _entirely_ true. She wasn't 'involved' in the fight, so much as she was forced to partake in it. As a result, she was sporting a pretty little bruise under her right eye that currently marred her otherwise flawless face, along with a scrape on her chin and another bruise that wrapped around her left bicep that looked suspiciously like a handprint.

She was also really, really pissed off.

Lash and Speed were (no big surprise) still in jail with Gwen Grayson/Sue Tenny/Royal Pain/Psycho Bitch, but that didn't mean there weren't still wannabe-super-villains roaming the schools, waiting to prey on unsuspecting freshmen. These new idiot replacements had aptly titled themselves Seismic and Shock. Both were juniors, but one idiot was able to create and control earthquakes at any given moment, while the other could summon bolts of electricity from his hands.

And, _of course_, these losers felt the need to try and push around the newly minted sophomore Hero Support(ers). And they weren't just _any_ members of Hero Support; they were Magenta, Zach, and Ethan, the best friends of none other- the one- the only-

Will Stronghold.

Oh, yeah. They were also close with Layla, another hero (after showing her plant-powers at last year's Homecoming, Principal Powers forced her into the Hero classes with Will), as well as the terrifying Warren Peace.

Together, the six teenagers had saved Sky High from utter demise last year, so they were all kind of legends at their high school in the sky. But that didn't stop jackasses from tying to push them around.

During lunch, the two boneheads had decided to pick on an easy favorite: Ethan. They had cornered him just leaving the lunch-line, with the intent of terrorizing the poor guy. They probably didn't imagine that Ethan (after shoving Lash's head in the toilet bowl, Ethan's self-confidence had improved significantly) wouldn't be intimidated in the least by those losers, which he proved quite adeptly by shoving his tray full of food on those two Neanderthals.

Suffice to say, that didn't go over too well with either Neanderthal.

Layla, Will, Warren, Magenta, and Zach were all well aware of this. But Zach was the first one out of his seat, and the first one to reach Seismic and Shock.

Now, for the record, Layla couldn't hear over the near-thundering din of the cafeteria, but she could guess what was being said, judging by Zach's easy-going expression, and Seismic and Shock grinning evilly and nodding over to their table suggestively, followed by Zach dropping his smile and suddenly slugging Seismic.

Layla was making pure speculation, but she had a twenty in her purse that said that those morons had made some lewd comments about a certain sarcastic, shape-shifting punk rocker that Zach didn't appreciate.

At the time, Layla didn't feel like voicing that opinion. She was too busy staring in shock when Magenta bolted out of her seat and growled, pretty menacingly for someone who could only morph into a hamster, "No one messes with _my_ boyfriend." She didn't bother explaining that threat any further, opting instead to run head-on to the scuffle already well at hand.

Following her closest female friend, Layla headed straight for the boys, and was just in time to witness Magenta tackling Shock to the ground. For a few seconds, Layla was struck dumb, shocked still by the girl effortlessly bowling over a guy that was a good forty pounds heavier than her. True, he wasn't exactly prepared for Magenta… nonetheless, the girl kicked his _ass_.

Layla stopped gawking long enough to notice Warren and Will had caught up with the rest of the gang, and a small crowd of spectators was beginning to form around the group. She took this as an opportunity to lend a hand and hopefully keep her friends from getting killed.

Zach and Seismic were still battling it out, but it didn't look like the human Glo-stick was doing too well. And Ethan was already busy helping Magenta kick the tar out of Shock, so they _definitely_ didn't need help…

Will and Warren had split off similarly, the former going to knock out the static-dork, while the latter headed in her direction.

And, of course, Seismic and Shock were out like lights in a matter of minutes. The only problem? Those two weren't the only ones sporting battle scars.

Will had broken his nose when Shock sent a bolt of lightning his way, causing him to fly across the room and land with a sickening thud. And Magenta had been electrocuted a few times and was suffering from a few minor burns, while Ethan had received a black eye a fractured rib.

Zach was easily off the worst. He had three broken ribs, a sprained wrist, and one severely bruised jaw. When the Principal Powers had arrived and the chaos had finally died down, Magenta had immediately rushed over to check on her boyfriend. He was milking her attention for all it was worth, but Layla had the distinct feeling Magenta didn't mind being used in such a way.

Nurse Spex had already checked out the four teens, and sent them all to the infirmary ward to heal. Warren and Layla had received the least blows, so they willingly went last when the six were shipped off to the nurse's office.

The nurse in question bustled out of the room, mumbling something about needing more gauze. That left Layla and Warren, finally, alone.

There was a comfortable silence while Layla shut her eyes and slowly counted back from ten. She shouldn't still be angry. Seismic and Shock were already in the Detention Room, and her friends were all fine.

Layla was grateful no one was badly injured. She was. She just sort of wished Seismic and Shock had gotten a few more injuries themselves. Did that mean she was a bad person? She wanted to punish the guilty people that hurt the innocent ones.

Plus, those guys were just plain assholes. They deserved to get knocked around a few dozen and a half times.

She smiled to herself when something finally occurred to her. Oh, yeah. There was no doubt about it. She was superhero material. There was no way she could do that 'super-villain' thing.

Layla pushed her fiery red hair out of her face and turned to look over at Warren. She needed someone else's opinion on the matter of their futures, post-graduation. "You're going to become a superhero, right?" she asked, knowing full well it was more of a statement than a question.

Warren was leaning up against the wall opposite of Layla and the table, his tattered leather jacket lying carelessly on the chair nearest him. Nurse Spex had made him push his hair out of his face so she could examine his wounds, so Layla was reminded of the time she spent with him at the Paper Lantern, where he worked busing tables.

The part that made her smile the most was how badly he stood out in the nurse's office. Nurse Spex's room was painted and decorated in nearly all white, with the exception of an occasional pale yellow or pastel, and Warren wore nearly all black, with the exception of some reds or other dark colors now and again. He stuck out like a sore thumb, with his clothing and posture and general attitude, but Layla still saw the (mostly) nice guy that hid behind all of that anger and pent-up frustration.

He snorted at her question/statement, and raised one large, tanned shoulder in response. "Not sure I really know what side to choose," he answered vaguely, staring past her, out the window and towards the horizon, where the sky was a breathtaking pale blue in the midday light.

"That's not true, Warren," she said softly, unabashedly staring at him. "You know what side to choose."

He snorted again, but this time it sounded more derisive. "What're you talking about, hippie?" he asked. His voice was flat and unemotional, but she caught the slightest undertone of a hidden threat.

"You're too good to be bad," she replied even softer, smiling a little wider. It sounded clichéd, but she was being 100 honest.

Warren finally stepped away from the wall and looked her in the eye. Layla's breath caught in her throat when she stared into those dark, near-black eyes. He crossed the room in only a few strides and was right in front of her before she could blink twice. She vaguely wondered if Warren had recently borrowed Speed's powers for the day.

"What if that's not true?" he asked with a growl. "What if I'm supposed to be bad, and you're just delaying the inevitable?"

Huh…?

Layla blinked. How was she delaying the inevitable again? By _not_ letting Warren become an antisocial psychopath with anger management issues?

…_What?_

They had just gotten into a brawl with Seismic and Shock. Layla wasn't in bad condition, by any means, but Seismic _had_ thrown a few decent punches her way, and she already felt as though the lights were a tad too bright, and the floor didn't feel very steady under the table she was currently sitting on.

"I'd only be delaying the inevitable if you were already evil to begin with," Layla responded deceivingly evenly. To be frank, she wasn't even sure if she was making any sense to either one of them at this point, but she buckled on anyway. "And if you were already evil, I couldn't actually delay anything. It would already be too late. You would be well on the path for villainy."

"And I'm _not_ on the path for villainy?" Warren shot back, narrowing his eyes slightly to examine Layla's face carefully. Whether of his own will or not, his hand moved to gently tip up her chin and trace the pattern the purpling bruise had left on the swell of her cheekbone with his thumb.

Even though Layla's breath had hitched in her throat the second his hand made contact with her skin, she still found the energy to reply, albeit a tad breathlessly, "If you were on the path for villainy, you wouldn't give a damn that I got a couple of bruises from a minor scrape."

Ooh. This was bad. This was wrong. She should _not_ want to grab him by that stupid, ratty, black t-shirt of his and drag his face down to kiss her and…

Dammit. Bad thoughts.

"That so?" Warren asked, one corner of his mouth curling up into a half-smie. Ironically, it seemed he was thinking along the same lines as her, if the way his thumb dropped down past her cheek to gently trace the fullness of her bottom lip and the slight cut that split down the middle of her lip was any indication.

If it was at all possible, Layla's breath hitched even higher in her throat. She couldn't do anything more than stare into his eyes and breathe, and even that was getting to be a tricky task to accomplish.

She knew she wasn't imagining it when Warren's head dipped down, leaning in close… her lips barely parted… closer… her eyelids fluttered closed… _closer_…

"There's the gauze!" Nurse Spex announced victoriously, effectively killing the moment. Warren jumped back a good foot and a half, while Layla self-consciously pushed her hair out of her face once more.

"Now let's get your blood pressure, just one last time- to be on the safe side," the nurse said, bustling around the room happily, blissfully unaware of what _almost_ happened.

Even still, Layla couldn't help but glance over at Warren when, after taking her blood pressure, Nurse Spex commented confusedly, "How on earth could this happen? You're blood pressure has gone up ten points in less than two minutes! How funny…"

Layla's pale shoulders slumped a little. She had a very good feeling her blood pressure would be climbing ever higher in the next couple weeks. There was no doubt in her mind: life was going to get very interesting, very fast.

4

**Okay, I transitioned weird. And this isn't the sequel to **_**Miniskirts**_**. This is, like, the sequel to the sequel. Crap. That means I still need to write the first sequel.**

**Blahh.**

(Just proving how undeniably intelligent I am that I wrote the third chapter before I wrote the second one, without realizing it until I had already finished the dumb thing.)


	4. Making Decisions?

Hey guys! Normally I would've waited to post Chapter 4 until Thursday or Friday, but... today's my birthday so I decided to be nice! :D

As a warning, this is a lot of phone talk, but it's pretty important to what will happen later on in the story, I promise.

4

"Oh, hi. Could I, uh, speak to Magenta, please? Tell her it's Layla."

Layla paced back and forth in her bedroom, trying not to start hyperventilating. But, to be totally honest, it was hard not to hyperventilate when it felt like her life had just been turned into a snowglobe; all pretty and perfect, until some little brat turned it upside down and shook it for all it's worth, turning everything into one big mess.

"Mhm- dude, do you know what time it is? Dude, do you know what _day_ it is?" Magenta grumbled as she answered the phone.

Layla knew her best friend wasn't a morning person, but she, truthfully, she wasn't thinking of her best friend. She spun around, glancing at her green metallic iHome. "Um," she replied quickly, "It's 8:06 A.M. on a Saturday morning. How are you?"

"It's 8:06 A.M. on a Saturday morning. How do you _think_ I am?" Magenta snapped back, but Layla was hardly insulted. Magenta never could understand how she was able to wake up so early every day, and actually be happy about it.

"I know, Magenta," Layla apologized. "I'm really sorry, but I couldn't wait. I mean, I was able to wait all night, and that just served to drive me crazy. I think too much. You know I do. And if I didn't talk to you today, I think I probably would've started screaming at some point. I get that it's early… I just… We have to talk. We have to talk until I no longer want to scream and cry and laugh, all at the same time. But for the record, let me say, there is a _lot_ we need to go over. Because my brain really hurts, and I don't want have to think alone anymore- have I mentioned I keep thinking too much? I don't think it's at all beneficial to my everyday health."

Layla finally had to stop talking, just to give herself the chance to breathe. She realized that Magenta hadn't tried to stop her incessant prattling, like she usually did when Layla was excited or worried or neurotic and just couldn't stop talking.

"Magenta?" Layla asked, unsure if her friend was still on the phone.

"Yo- wha?" Magenta said loudly. The girl must've dozed off. "Ugh, sorry, Lay. I guess I fell asleep. You wanna repeat, like, all of that?"

Layla chuckled, but was too nervous to actually find anything even remotely amusing. She didn't bother reciting the neurotic ramblings she had just spouted off moments before, and instead gave a quiet but quick low-down of everything that happened (well, more precisely, _didn't_ happen) at Nurse Spex's office.

This time, Magenta stayed awake long enough to hear everything. "Whoa," she finally mumbled. "You guys almost _kissed_?"

Layla sighed, still trying to quell the urge to shout in frustration. "We didn't almost kiss," she corrected him. "He almost kissed me- I mean, I almost kissed-" She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and trying to collect her thoughts. "I don't know what almost happened. All I know is, I'm really afraid I just screwed up everything I had going for me."

Everything she had going for her. Layla had a lot going for her. And yet, a good part of her was wishing for the crap she had to deal with last year.

Last year, her only major problem was the fact she was in love with her best friend Will, who was hopelessly oblivious and was busy dating another girl, a perfect senior named Gwen Grayson. By the end of Homecoming, all of that had changed- Layla was now happily dating Will, after Gwen was revealed to be Sue Tenny dressed as the villain Royal Pain, but was struck by her own weapon, the Pacifier, after Will's father, The Commander, defeated her in a battle that caused the Pacifier to break and explode in her face, leaving her, not dead, but a baby (yeah, everyone else was confused, too).

Layla assumed that sophomore year would be much easier for everyone involved, herself included. Magenta didn't seem to have her problems. Magenta was happily dating one of their friends, Zach. And, unsurprisingly, Zach was head over heels for Magenta. Even Ethan was happy! He was dating a cute girl that lived in his neighborhood. Granted, she was just a citizen, not a hero or even a sidekick ("Hero Support"), but no one cared. Everyone was happy Ethan found somebody.

Everyone found somebody. There was Will and Layla, and Zach and Magenta, and Ethan and Rose (that was her name), and Warren and Jenny…

Oh, wait. No. The ice girl (Ice Queen was what she liked to call herself), Jenny Frost, was another sophomore Warren had met up with at the end of Homecoming, when everyone had been turned back to their normal age, and the heinous Queen Bitch- err, _Royal Pain_- and her trolls (Thank you Penny, Speed and Lash) had been rightfully dispatched. But, according to Warren, a week or two ago, they weren't together anymore.

So, it wasn't like he would be cheating on anyone. Just betraying his best friend. And her boyfriend…

"Oh, God, Magenta, what the hell is wrong with me?" Layla groaned, flopping down to lie on her bed. It was decorated with blue, yellow, and green paisley print. All of her room was decorated in those colors; it was cute and cheery, but right now she didn't care in the slightest about looking bright and perky.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Magenta said, pretty soothingly for a girl who liked to dress as a punk rocker. "You just had one of those things that quack Dr. Phil's always going off about, a 'moment of weakness', or whatever."

Layla shut her eyes. "It felt longer than a moment," she murmured, rubbing her eyelids tiredly with her thumb and pointer finger.

"Hold up," Magenta snapped. Layla could put money down that Magenta probably had one hand on her hip and was holding her other hand up in the air, palm up, as if to say, 'Slow down, there, plant girl.'

"Did you actually _want_ it to be longer than a moment?" Magenta asked. Well, the girl was great at pushing past the bullshit and asking the really observant- and usually right on target- questions.

Damn her.

Layla groaned again, propping herself up on her elbows as she tried to forget everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Problem was, it wasn't working. In the slightest.

Why couldn't she just be happy with what she already had going for her? She was so blissfully happy after Homecoming, the first time she and Will kissed. Why couldn't she go back to that time? No, she had to be an idiot and nearly make out with Warren.

But still… She hadn't actually kissed Warren, and yet she had never felt like that when she was actually kissing Will. That was the part that was so offsetting. Kissing Will was just like Will himself; sweet, and innocent and… nice. It wasn't like this with Warren.

Even though there hadn't been any 'contact,' Layla had felt… different. The second Warren had touched her face, her entire body had felt warm and tingly, like there was a fire burning deep in her belly. She felt alive.

"Holy shit," Magenta half-whispered. "You have got it bad for Warren, don't you?"

"How can I have it bad for him?" Layla half-whined back. "I have a boyfriend. Will! The best guy I had ever met. He's my best friend, and I've never be this close to a guy. I grew up with him! And I've only known Warren for less than a year. How could I suddenly fall for this guy after I've been busy over the moon for the guy I've known my entire life?"

Magenta laughed at Layla's desperate moan. "That's the problem with knowing someone your entire life," she pointed out wisely. "You know them too well, and that can get 

pretty boring, pretty fast. However, a guy you've only known for eleven or twelve months… Not knowing someone can make a relationship very fun."

Layla started laughing, but she realized it was bittersweet mirth. "That doesn't even make any sense," she replied, sliding down to sit on the pale blue carpet. She sat up, pressing her knees to her chin and wrapping an arm around her legs.

"It makes perfect sense," Magenta snapped. "You and Will have spent all of your time together, and there isn't a single thing that you two don't know about one another-"

Layla snorted derisively.

"With the exception of this little incident," Magenta added as an afterthought. "But knowing each other so well _can_ get boring. Warren, however… Well, you spend all of your time with the guy trying to get him to open up. And while I have a feeling you know more about him than any of us, you still don't know much. That, combined with the fact that the guy _is_- to excuse the bad pun- smokin'… I think we have the perfect recipe for one fun little fling."

"I can't have a fling!" Layla replied, horror-stricken. "I have a boyfriend! A-"

"I know, I know," Magenta groaned. "A sweet, caring, _nice_ boyfriend. But, c'mon. We're friends. You can be honest. Nice gets boring pretty fast."

"That's not true!" Layla disagreed. "Nice is good! Nice is safe! Nice is reliable. Nice is…"

"Not likely to get you burned?" Magenta offered wryly. "Again, excusing the pun."

Layla laughed, but it ended with a bitter sigh anyway. "But that's not my problem. What should I do about Will? I can lie to him about all of this. We have a good, solid relationship. Keeping him in the dark would just be cruel."

"Yeah, that's true…" Magenta replied quietly. "But nothing actually _happened_. Yeah, a lot _almost_ happened, but at the end of the day, you have to admit, there was no contact. You two didn't actually kiss. An almost kiss does not equal an actual kiss. You have to remember that much."

"So… you think I should just forget? Sweep it under the rug and act as if nothing ever happened between Warren and me? I mean, yeah, nothing actually happened. But the fact that, if it wasn't for Nurse Spex and her impeccable timing, I _know_ something would have happened… Isn't that worthy telling Will?

"Layla, listen," Magenta said softly. "I'm going to tell you something that my mother loves to tell me- it's a cliché, but it's got a grain of truth to it. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Provided that you don't do anything more- like actually kiss Warren. Then you might have a problem."

"I'm not going to kiss Warren," Layla assured her best friend. "I know that much. But maybe you're right. I should keep this to myself- for now. Will has enough to worry about as it is, what with all of the drama that's going on with his family."

"That's a good enough solution for now," Magenta agreed.

They talked for another fifteen minutes, mostly speculations about where Zach would be taking Magenta for their one-year anniversary. Despite the fact that Magenta continued to act as though what she and Zach had was a tiny fling, Layla knew her best friend liked Zach just as much as he liked her.

Layla hung up her cordless blue telephone after she and Magenta said their goodbyes, and she slumped down on her bed. She was dog tired, thanks to a particularly fitful night of nearly no sleep. However, after her conversation with Magenta, she was beginning to feel better about what was going on in her life. She still was sure which way was up at this point, but at least she didn't feel like her world was about to end in flame and glory.

_Brrring_.

Layla jumped. Who was calling her? She turned around and picked up the phone, pushing her hair out of her face. "Hello?" she asked, confused.

"Layla?" It was Will on the other line. "I'm sorry, I know it's early- I didn't mean to wake you-"

"Don't worry," Layla said, her voice automatically turning sweet when she heard her boyfriend's voice. See? She still liked War- _Will._ Christ. She needed to knock that off. "You didn't wake me up. I've already been up since 7:30."

"Oh, good," Will said, sounding somewhat relieved. But there was still something in his voice. He sounded nervous, almost harried, like there was something he wanted to tell her but was too afraid to say. Layla hadn't known him her entire life for nothing. She understood the tiny nuances that determined his emotions.

But even if she was psychic, she knew she couldn't have predicted this curveball.

"Layla, we need to talk."

4

**I know. I'm mean. I'm sorry.**

**I genuinely liked this one. I thought it turned out really well.**

**Granted, I still have no idea how I'm gonna finish this plot, though. I'm teensy bit afraid about that part.**

(This is about when I finally admitted to myself that this would have to be a… gasp… CHAPTERED FIC! Oh, the horrors! The bane of my existence!

And, if you guys haven't figured out yet, I don't understand the meaning of thinking up a plot ahead of time. Ooh, no. I'm too cool to do that.

Ha.)


	5. No More Mr Nice Guy, No Siree

A week had passed.

A week had passed since that fateful conversation with Will.

Layla was still winded. She was right when she had thought her life was like a snowglobe; only, now, things were more than just topsy-turvy. Things were tornado-worthy, and she hadn't stopped reeling.

Of anything she had expected to happen, this sure as hell wasn't it.

Will had broken up with her.

The ironic part? Layla wasn't entirely sure that was a bad thing.

It was Saturday again. The first Saturday she would have to face without a boyfriend in almost a year. But Layla was determined to continue her life as she normally would, to prove to herself (along with 2/3s of the school, all of whom were convinced she would fall to pieces at any given second, after word got around that Will had kicked her to the curb) that she was perfectly fine, with or without a boyfriend.

This meant, of course, a trip to the Paper Lantern.

In typical relationships, the ex-girlfriend wasn't supposed to stay friends with her ex-boyfriend's friends. With Layla and Will, the situation was different. They were both friends with the same people, so they agreed that staying friends would be best for everyone involved. Layla knew that this was just Will's diplomatic way of making sure no one took sides on who should stay friends with whom.

That didn't stop Layla from wondering (albeit a little bit cynically) who would take her side over Will's. Magenta had made her opinion quite well known when Layla had first informed her of their now defunct relationship. And Zach would most likely agree with Magenta, because he always agreed with whatever Magenta thought… Ethan she wasn't so sure about. He was a great guy, and he revered Will in his own way. He'd most likely side with Will, if it ever came to the point.

There was one more person she wasn't so sure about. Warren.

Ooh. Warren.

After Will had ended the relationship, Layla continued on with her everyday routine, going to classes, doing her homework, hanging out with her friends… well, with the exception of one. Warren. A few months ago, she would've had no qualms hanging out with him, but 

after certain events… transpired, she wasn't sure how to act around Warren, now that she had suddenly lost her security blanket- her boyfriend.

Layla had nearly kissed Warren in the nurse's office, the day before Will had broken up with her. She had just decided- with Magenta's over-the-phone consultation- to not tell Will about that teensy incident when, not five minutes later, he called, telling her he would be coming over.

Once Will had come to her house (mercifully, her mother was off at the Animal Shelter again), they had walked into the living room when he finally broke the news to her. It wasn't like she was particularly surprised; the "we need to talk" line had tipped her off immediately.

"I'm sorry," Will had apologized for about the tenth time. "I- I couldn't do this over the phone. But the truth is, Layla… I… I can't be in a relationship right now. We have to break up"

Layla couldn't help but smile bitterly. "And why's that?" she asked softly, sinking into her living room couch. Will sat down in the matching chair across from the couch.

"I- I can't keep all of this up," Will mumbled, burying his head in his hands and propping his elbows on his knees in shame. "I know you understand that my parents have been nothing short of devastated since I broke it to him- well, them- that I don't want to be a part of the Stronghold Three. It's just, after that, I realized that I need to sort out a lot of things. I hate to have to do this to you without any warning ahead of time, but I need to understand myself. And I really don't think I can be in a relationship without understanding myself better first."

Layla had wanted to call him on this excuse; she wasn't sure she actually bought that. But something told her to stay quiet, and don't question it. It was like what Magenta had told her- "what they don't know won't hurt them." She was pretty sure that that cliché applied to her in this case.

Like he was reading her mind, Will ran his hands through his hair frustratingly and informed her lowly, "I know, you must be thinking I'm full of crap. I just… I'm sorry I can't explain this to you any other way."

"It's okay," Layla told him, leaning over to pat his knee gently. "Really. I understand. There's so much you need to sort out. If our relationship needs to end, I understand why."

That was crap, too, only this time she was the one spouting it. There was another underlying problem that Will wasn't willing to be _completely_ honest on just yet, and while it 

bothered her a little, she wasn't going to push it. In fact, she was happy to just let this go- well, not happy, but content. Better to it end this way then in a crappy fight and flaming glory.

Will had left the house apologizing all the way out the door. Layla wished she could believe him, but she didn't. In the slightest. And, in total honesty, she couldn't make herself try and figure out what was going on with Will. Something had snapped inside her, and she couldn't bring herself to push him to tell her the truth.

A week later, nothing had changed. Will was avoiding her- he wasn't making it obvious, but she knew, every time he was near her, he would make sure at least one other person was in the room with them.

She still knew he was hiding something, and she still hadn't felt the urge to confront him for the actual information. It was like her heart had been put on pause when she heard those "we need to talk" words, and she hadn't found a way to un-pause her heart since then. She didn't act outwardly callous, she just couldn't work up the urge to care about Will's problems. And it wasn't even that she was cruel to Will- she was very nice! She just _honestly_ did not want- or care- to know the truth.

"How you doin', hippie?"

Layla looked up from her tasty meal at the Paper Lantern and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hi, Warren," she said happily. "I'm doing fine. How are you?"

Even though the Lantern was relatively packed for a Saturday night, Warren sat down in the booth across from her. He dried his hands with his apron, eyeing her suspiciously. "I'm okay," he replied, "But I'd be damned if I didn't admit I'm kind of confused."

Layla's eyebrows furrowed. "Why are you confused?" she asked, picking up her iced tea to take a drink.

Warren snorted. "Well, according to Magenta, you've been acting funny since you and Warren split up. Magenta asked me if I thought _I_ thought you were acting funny, and I didn't know what the hell she was talking about. So she told me to talk to you and find out why you're acting like this." He eyed her speculatively, and Layla did notice with a blush that his gaze hesitated on her chest a little longer than was necessary before looking back up at her face. "So, hippie, why are you acting _funny_?"

"I don't know what Magenta's talking about, either," Layla replied with a soft chuckle. "I thought I was acting normally. I am acting normally. I mean, yeah, Will did just break up with me last week, but is it really so weird that I'm not falling to pieces over it?"

Warren grinned back at her and mock-whispered, "Well, don't tell Magenta I said this, but I'm damned proud that you didn't fall to pieces. You're better than that."

Layla laughed and shook her head. "Thank you," she said. "I'm happy you think so. You're probably one of the only people so far that's actually supported how I've been dealing with everything. I know I should probably be spending my time crying into my pillow and refusing to eat, but… I don't know. I… I don't think I care enough to do all that. Is that mean? I should care more. I mean, I love Will, I do. And it's sad that it's taken me a year- longer, if you count how long I've had a crush on him- but I think I've finally figured out that I'm not _in _love with Will. Though the fact that I finally figured this out just in time for Will to dump me is, I gotta admit, pretty ironic." She looked down at her food. "And I also just figured out, I'm probably being way too honest and talking way too much. I should probably stop talking right about now."

All Warren could do was laugh at her honesty. "If it makes you feel better, Layla," he told her, "It's not like I'm going to tell anybody about your sudden honesty. Now," he pointed at her, eyes twinkling, "I might use this, a month from now, as reason to mock you ruthlessly, but that's your own fault."

"Hey, that's not fair," Layla replied, unable to stop herself from laughing. "You can't pick on a girl who just had her heart broken!"

He rolled his eyes. "One," he said, ticking off his reasons on his fingers, "You just got done admitting that you're no longer in love with Stronghold, and two, that's why a said 'in a month.' So even if you're in denial and were lying to me-" he stopped long enough to snort derisively, "- yeah, right- but I said a month just to be on the safe side."

"Smartass," Layla snapped, sticking her tongue out impishly.

Warren sat back, clutching his chest in shock. "Layla," he said, "Did you just curse? I didn't think anyone as pure and innocent as you would ever do something as rude and crass as curse."

Layla rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up," she told him angrily. "I'm not so pure and innocent. Knock it off."

"Coulda fooled me," Warren replied with a wink.

Layla knew she was blushing, but she refused to back down. She glared angrily at him, despite the fact that he was openly laughing in her face.

"Warren! We kind of have customers to serve! You can continue to flirt with your girlfriend on your own time!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Warren snapped back at the hostess as he stepped out of the booth and added as an afterthought, "And she's not my girlfriend!"

"You think I care? Stop hitting on her and go do your job!"

Layla was bright red at this point. She tucked her hair behind her ears and ducked her head, well aware of the fact that about half of the restaurant was busy staring at her.

Warren walked away, grumbling and shaking his head. Layla had to snicker at his antics. He really was a great guy. She was happy to have him as her friend. He had changed a lot in a year. She still remembered how terrified everyone was of the kid who had a villain for a dad and a hero for a mom. People were still fairly afraid of him, but he became more approachable after always being seen with Will and his friends.

And if Warren was proud of her, she was doubly so. Admittedly, Warren was still antisocial around most people, but he had opened up around Layla and Will and the rest of them. He wasn't so willing to joke around with her or even willingly sit down with her a year ago. Now, he sat down across from her without asking first, and teased her for being such an undeniable spaz.

Layla was genuinely happy to see this side of Warren. It was great. She couldn't have been prouder of him.

Maybe Magenta was right, Layla wondered. Maybe she was acting funny. She should be moping around right now, not flirting with her ex-boyfriend's best friend-

Whoa. She was saying a lot of things. She needed to stop being so honest.

Yeah. _That_ was her big problem.

At least, now she could focus on this thing with Warren. There wasn't anybody to hold her back, as callous as it sounded, which meant she was free to sort out the mess her hormones and emotions had left behind. And, at this point, it was a big friggin' mess.

Warren was more than just a friend. He was a confidant. He was the first person to call her on her bluff; he saw that she had fallen for her best friend, and told her so point-blank. From there, he stayed in her life, as a reliable, if somewhat moody, close, friend. It wasn't her fault he also happened to be hot, too. If you thought about it, it was kind of a bonus.

True, it was bad timing on her part to start falling for the guy before she had even broken up with her current boyfriend.

Wait. Was that what this was? She was falling for Warren?

No. That didn't make any sense. She didn't fall for guys like Warren-

Well, really, how could she say that? She'd only ever had a crush on one other guy. And it wasn't like she could compare Will to Warren. Yeah, they were best friends, but they were also so very different.

Layla thought deprecatingly of Will, and the bad lie he'd spun up, just to ensure that she didn't find out the truth. Warren was at least twice as bad when it came to being honest and explaining his emotions (not that he ever admitted to having them).

On second thought, maybe they weren't so different.

Layla spent the rest of her time in the restaurant, doing her Heroes & Villains History, as well as the Chemistry involving Gamma-Rays & Guns, not to mention she needed to memorize thirty different "Hero Support"(ers) and which hero they… "supported."

Altogether, this wasn't such a bad first Friday sans boyfriend. The only difference between this Friday and her past Fridays was that Will would be with her while she worked on her homework while he worked on his own. Even then, that didn't happen very often anymore, especially when he was off jet-setting with his parents halfway around the world.

In fact, Layla was so absorbed in her work and the comfortable, metaphorical, little bubble she had formed around herself, she nearly jumped a mile when Warren dropped his apron on the table in front of her.

"You jumpy all of a sudden, hippie?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Layla shot him a dirty look. "No," she replied haughtily, "I was busy doing my homework, and I wasn't paying attention to the time, and then you had to go and sneak up on me, so I was a tiny bit surprised. That's all."

"Sure, it is," Warren said sarcastically. "Are you coming or not?"

Layla rolled her eyes at his brutish attitude, but hurried to pack up her books and calculator and grab her bags nonetheless.

While Layla wasn't sure where she stood with Warren, and would freely admit to anyone (well… maybe not _anyone_… to Magenta, definitely) she wasn't sure how to act 

around him anymore, she did appreciate his company. And after her break-up with Will, she found that she was in his company a lot more than usual. Or, a lot more than she had ever noticed before, in any case.

It was odd. There were a few times in the day where she would find herself purposely seeking his company, like when she dropped by at the Paper Lantern when she knew he would be working, or to pop in to one of Sky High's several computer labs, where he had a tendency to hang out during his free period.

But there were also times when she _wasn't_ seeking his company, but she would suddenly find him there, like the one or two days she would study in the library, he would appear, plunking down his books without a word to do research of his own. It didn't happen very often, but she could never recall a single instance where she was in any way displeased to see him.

Tonight was no different. This had essentially become a sort of ritual for the two of them; on weekends, and even once or twice during the week, Layla would eat dinner at the Paper Lantern and then wait the rest of the time until the dinner rush had died down- sometimes she would get there early enough that they could spend his dinner break together- and Warren was let off from his shift at 10. From there, he would walk her home, where they would talk about nearly anything and everything.

This had started, almost accidentally, after Will had told his parents over the phone that he no longer wanted a part of the Stronghold Three. He realized that a simple phone call wouldn't suffice when breaking the news to the Commander. He delegated the job of walking Layla home to his closest friend, Warren. They hadn't felt the need to break tradition yet.

Layla wasn't dating Will anymore. That had become a significant, though never mentioned, change between the two of them. This brought the whole walking-the-girl-home thing to completely new dimension.

Specifically, what happened after he walked her to her front porch.

Thus far, they hadn't let that teensy uncertainty put a damper on their fun. Layla liked talking to Warren, and she didn't want to ruin their conversations just because her hormones wouldn't shut up now and again.

That was why she was so busy laughing at Warren, who was just as busy glowering at her as they stepped onto her front porch.

"I'm sorry," she apologized in between giggles at his expense. "But you can glare at me until time stops. It'll still be true."

"No it won't," He replied shortly, frowning.

Layla laughed again, shaking her head. "Yes, it will," she said, "You can act all mean and tough and angry, and throw all the fireballs that you want, but it doesn't matter. I'll still know."

Warren, for his part, glared stonily at her unopened and locked front door, refusing to make eye contact with the hysterical redhead.

Continuing on, Layla said, purposely taunting him, "I'll still know that you are a nice guy, no matter what your genetics, or attitude, or demeanor, or any of that say. You are _nice_, and it kills you that I'm not afraid to say it."

"You don't know what you're talkin' 'bout, hippie," he grumbled. "And are you gonna open your door, or do you want me to leave you out here alone in the cold?"

Taking out her keys, Layla responded with an mischievous grin, "First of all, yes, I'm going to open my door, eventually- hopefully after I've gotten you to admit that you're a nice guy."

His disdainful snort was all she needed for an answer.

"Second of all," she continued unaffected, "You would never leave me out here, on my doorstep, all cold and all alone, no matter what you may want me to think. You're too nice to do something that mean. Because nice guys don't leave girls out in the cold, and you most certainly are a _nice guy_."

Jingling her keys thoughtfully as she turned the door's lock and began to open her front door, she wondered aloud, "Really, I don't get it. What is your- along with every other guy's- problem with being called nice? It's a compliment. You should be proud that you're a nice guy."

Leaving the door opened midway, Layla stopped long enough to give Warren a short, thoughtless peck on the cheek. "I'm proud that you're a nice guy." She turned back to open the door all the way-

Warren grabbed her wrist and spun her around so her back hit the door, which shut with a bang as towered over her growling menacingly, "Oh yeah? I doubt nice guys do this."

With that, he closed the short distance between them in a searing kiss. Though utterly stunned, Layla's eyes slipped closed while the arm he wasn't holding on to curled tightly around the material of his shirt, unconsciously encouraging his unexpected advances.

As soon as it had started, it was over. Warren staggered back from Layla, and the two stood, chests heaving, staring each other down for several moments. Finally, Warren took a ragged breath and said, "I didn't-" he stopped, clearing trying to consider his options when his brain wasn't quite up for the task at the moment. "You goin' with the rest of the sidekicks to the movies tomorrow?"

Vaguely, Layla remembered agreeing to meet Magenta and the rest to see some movie, but she was having trouble remembering her name at this point, let alone some conversation she'd had with Magenta earlier this afternoon that seemed light-years ago. Instead, she just nodded mutely, unable to so much as formulate the words in her head to (possibly?) form a coherent sentence.

Warren nodded back, stepping off of the porch without turning around, looking just as confused as she felt.

Layla didn't walk into her house until Warren was safely out of sight, and even then, she felt like she had just walked through a tornado. Or been hit by a tsunami. Or maybe both.

She managed to shut and lock the door behind her with shaking hands, and that was about it before she sagged against the door, sliding down into an unceremonious heap in the middle of her foyer. Though she wouldn't think of it until the morning after, it really was fortunate her mother had been called down by the mayor to find a tiger that had escaped the local zoo.

That way, no one was around to hear her let out a particularly colorful 2-word expletive as she let her head fall against the door with a dull thud.

What in God's name was she going to do now?

4

**Hmmm… I'm not entirely sure, but I think I like this one the best. I think it came out the closest to what I had initially planned in my head.**

**Again, I still can't tell you where the hell I'm going with this, but I **_**will**_** find an answer. Eventually. When that happens, I don't even know. Which is partly why I have no intention of posting this **_**anywhere**_** until I've finished it. Or almost (as in, one last chapter to write) finished it.**

**And, right now, there's way more than one last chapter to write.**

**I'm pretty sure.**

**(P.S. Virtual cookies and a mention before the next chapter go to the person who can guess which loveable (in my opinion), if crappy, kids' movie this title (think SONGS) is from. You youngin's may not get this, but hopefully those of us with children or ourselves were born before 1992-ish should get this reference. Y'know, because I'm a sadistic weirdo with bad tastes in movies (even back when I was 6 or so…).)**

(Uhh… P.P.S.? Anyway, I still maintain this is my favorite chapter. It's pretty damn awesome in my opinion. It's a shame I start hating the chapters again after this. I can never catch a break.)


	6. Still Hiding Behind That Mask?

Aww. No one guessed it right.

The answer is, _The Swan Lake_. It's this really crappy (did I mention that before?) cartoon movie that I loved when I was a kid. XD Yes, I've always had bad taste, and, no, I don't care.

4

Layla had to admit it.

Things had gotten _way_ too interesting, _way_ too fast.

Not that she could tell anyone! Oh, _hell no_. She couldn't even tell Magenta. She loved her best friend, but there was always the chance that Magenta would tell her boyfriend, Zach, which meant there was an even more likely chance he would tell Ethan, who might just be crazy enough to tell (Oh God, she didn't even want to _think_ about it) Will.

And she'd already gotten into a fistfight this year (she didn't start it, but she did help finish it). And it was only early October. She didn't feel like getting into another fight so soon.

Layla had been spending the early part of Saturday morning putting together the finishing touches on the centerpieces that would go on each table for Homecoming. After a vote two short weeks ago, everyone on the Homecoming committee had decided her idea of a masquerade would be the perfect plan to make everyone forget about that Royal Pain debacle last year.

Since then, she was working whenever she had the time on all of the many details that went into the Homecoming dance. And, good Lord, there were way too many details.

It seemed like it had taken forever, but she was finally getting around to putting together the fun stuff. She had volunteered to make the centerpieces, while two freshman were putting together the music list for the DJ, some seniors were painting the signs and archway that would eventually go in front of the doors of the gym.

Everyone on the Homecoming committee had been staying late to prepare for the dance, which would be in only one week, the following Friday. Layla hadn't been able to finish all of her centerpieces (she needed to make at least twelve, but she decided on fifteen, just in case she one of them broke), so she took her works in progress home with her in case she had extra time during the weekend.

Turned out, while she had initially thought she wouldn't have enough time this weekend, she was proven wrong when she couldn't fall asleep until one or so. And when she finally fell asleep, she woke up at five. In the morning.

Instead of tossing and turning for hours on end, she decided to put all of her excess energy into something more productive. She settled on completing her pretty centerpieces. Each centerpiece had an elegant, hand-painted porcelain mask, each with its own elaborately decorated pattern, with ropes of real ivy wrapped around the mask, holding it in the air and securely in place. With her handy plant powers, she had a continuous stream of fresh ivy to use, coming straight from the little terracotta pot she had growing on her nightstand. Each 

mask she painted with an array of paints and brushes she'd borrowed from Sky High's art room.

To amuse herself, the colors she picked for each mask represented the colors of certain famous superheroes. So far, she had painted a mask in red, blue and gold; two different greens, a dark and a neon, and black; black, grey, and gold; one more in just strictly red and blue; another in four three distinctly different shades of green; red and gold; black and blue; one she knew Magenta would probably like the best, which was colored in shades of violet and black; lastly, one she knew Will would appreciate, which had hues of red, blue, silver, and white.

Layla still needed to paint six more, but she was discovering that several superheroes and heroines liked to use similar color schemes. This made her job difficult, but she found it fun to search for more superheroes. And, boy, there were a lot of them.

Luckily, searching for heroes and painting masks and making more ivy garland were all very time-consuming and distracting practices. That was why it took her a few minutes before she heard her mother calling her.

"Layla!" her mother shouted, most likely from the downstairs kitchen. "It's Magenta on the phone for you!"

Layla blinked repeatedly. Had the phone rung? She hadn't been paying attention. She was busy painting and decorating and… she lost track of time. A glance at her clock revealed that it was already nearly 11:30.

Leaning up, she snagged the lime green cordless phone that rested on her nightstand. She had been sitting on the floor for the better part of… six hours? Little more, maybe?

"Heya, Magenta," Layla said into the phone, cradling it in the with her cheek and shoulder as she put the last touches on her favorite so far; she used dark blue, black, and gold, representing her all-time favorite "sidekick."

"Yo," Magenta replied, by way of greeting. "Are you comin' with us to the movies today?"

Layla nearly dropped the mask.

"_You goin' with the rest of the sidekicks to the movies tomorrow?"_

Gently setting down the mask on the newspaper she'd laid out on her cream-colored rug to dry, along with the four other masks she'd already finished, Layla answered, "Uh… yeah. Yes, as far as I know. When are we going, by the way?"

"Umm… _now_?" Magenta said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Remember, we talked about this yesterday? During lunch? Ring any bells?"

Of course it rang a few bells. Layla wasn't missing any brain cells; her memory was in perfect working order. It was just that… yesterday was… fuzzy. Fuzzy wasn't the right word for it, though.

"We'll be over to pick you up in, like ten minutes," Magenta said in a clipped voice. There was a hesitant pause, and then she whispered into the receiver, "Uh, but there's one little thing. Will's here. We couldn't _not_ invite him, even though you guys are…"

"No longer in a relationship together?" Layla offered, smiling slightly. She was a big girl. There was no reason for her to be uncomfortable around Will, even though he did break up with her.

And, if her body was giving her any indication, she had already gotten over Will.

"Don't worry," Magenta told her hurriedly, talking low and fast. "We're all here- me, Zach, Ethan, Ethan's girlfriend, that Rose girl, and Warren-"

-_closed the short distance between them in a searing kiss._

Ooh. Bad thoughts. Bad, bad, inappropriate thoughts.

"-too, so it's not like you and Will will be all alone in a dark theater together. In fact, I will personally make sure you two are on opposite ends when we sit together. I promise."

Warren was going.

Well, he _did_ mention something about going to the movies with them. She shouldn't be freaking out like this. It wasn't healthy.

Then again, sitting in a dark theater with the guy probably wasn't healthy for her, either.

Oh, she could do this. It was just the movies. All this worrying was going to get her a trip straight to the hospital.

Sighing, Layla replied, "That's fine, Magenta. I think I can deal long enough to sit through a two-hour movie in a dark, silent room. I promise."

"Great," Magenta said happily. "We'll be there in a few."

Layla sighed again, then looked down at herself, only to _just_ realize she had never changed out of her pajamas. "Dammit," she mumbled, standing up, tiptoeing around the newspapers and masks that littered the floor.

After a few harried seconds of literally ripping through her closet, Layla found something suitable to wear. She had bought the cutest little sundress down at the local vintage clothing store. It was white, with cheery yellow flowers scattered all across the dress. It was light and comfortable, and hit her just above the knees. It would match perfectly with her pair of backless cork wedges. Each shoe was tied with a thick white eyelet strap across the top of her foot.

And, she had a pastel yellow bolero jacket, which matched perfectly. If she wore her hair down, she could also grab her white eyelet headband. She stepped in front of the mirror, only to stare back at her image, dismayed.

"Yo, you ready?" Magenta asked, stepping into the doorframe. Her mother routinely let her daughter's friends in without warning; Layla had gotten used to people (well, mostly Magenta and Will- not any more- but sometimes Zach would trail along with her) randomly appearing at any point.

"This is too put together, isn't it?" Layla said, half-whining.

"Uhh, yeah," Magenta said, indicating her own outfit, which was a pair of black ripped jeans, purple plaid Converses, and a black tank top, over which she'd thrown a thin, purple, plaid flannel button-down. She'd only buttoned the middle button, right below her chest, and rolled up the sleeves to her elbows. She looked cute and relaxed, not overdressed and suddenly uncomfortable, like Layla.

"I should change," Layla said, spinning around to her closet. She wrenched the door open, pulling off her bolero and headband.

"Oh, no, the movie's gonna start in fifteen minutes!" Magenta snapped, grabbing her friend by the arm and dragging her out of the room. "That gives us ten minutes to walk there and only five minutes to buy tickets and get food. And you know Zach. He feels the need to buy at least one of every candy, _plus_ a supersized cup drink."

"Oh- but I don't have my-"

Magenta ignored Layla's pleas to run back up to her room and grab her bolero and headband.

"Be quiet," Magenta ordered over her shoulder. "The guys are outside, waiting for us."

"Oh?" Layla murmured. "Right."

Layla stepped out onto the concrete, shielding her eyes with her hand to block the bright sunlight that filtered through the two dogwoods she and Will had planted over the summer. Because they were her babies, Layla made sure they were in perfect condition at all times.

Warren was leaning against one of the dogwoods, apparently unaware of the fact that it was late October and still warm at 12 o'clock on a Saturday. He was wearing ripped jeans, combat boots, a black t-shirt (could she possibly be lucky enough to see another sleeveless tee? Damn, she loved his biceps…), and his trademark black leather jacket. He did pull back his hair, the same way he had worn it the night before.

"What're you all dressed up for, hippie?" he growled, staring quite pointedly at Layla's bare legs as she walked up to him.

"Hey, at least I know I'm not going to burn up out here in a leather and combat boots," Layla replied smartly, arching her eyebrows superiorly. This expression only lasted for a few seconds, long enough for Warren to raise his eyebrow at the "burn up" part. She started giggling, and rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

The group started walking, and Layla purposefully made sure to walk along the sidewalk with Warren. She didn't honestly know what to say to him, but they couldn't ignore what happened all day.

"About what happened last night," Warren began quietly.

"What happened?" Layla asked, feigning innocence. "Did you get into a fight with your boss again?"

"Ha ha," Warren said flatly. "I was talking the part where I might've accidentally sexually harassed you."

"Hmm," Layla replied, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Doesn't ring any bells…" She smiled over at him and gently nudged his shoulder with her own.

"I'm serious, Layla," he told her, a deep frown etched on his face. It wasn't like she didn't know he was being serious- he never called her by her first name.

Her smile did lessen when she heard his tone. Still, she remained unfazed as she replied stubbornly, "You don't have to apologize. In fact, please don't apologize."

Layla could see lines of frustration begin to form on Warren's face. "I overreacted, alright, hippie? I shouldn't have-"

She didn't know why she was suddenly acting so out of character, but she found herself stepping in front of Warren, causing him to stop short, lest he knocked her down. "Save it," she told him quietly, but forcefully. "If I really had a problem with that kiss, don't you think I would at least be avoiding you right now?"

He didn't immediately say anything, so she answered for him, "No. I don't have a problem with it." Dropping her brusque attitude, she indulged a small smile, and said, "I actually liked it."

Layla stepped back next to Warren and slipped her arm through the crook of his and told him, "Now, c'mon. We're lagging behind. We wouldn't want to get Magenta angry."

Warren stared down at her oddly. She could tell he was thrown off by her sudden, easygoing manner, but glancing over at the rest of the group, some twenty feet ahead of them.

"No, I guess we wouldn't."

4

**It's a weird, somewhat incomplete ending, I know. But the thing is… I like it that way. Normally, I'd probably want to work further into it, but I think I'll stick instead with just making the next chapter a part two. Just as a warning, though, it will most likely be short. I think I know what I want to write with this one, and I can't imagine this one's going to be very long.**

(Uhh… I don't have much to say to this one. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it like the last chapter. Oh well. We can't win at everything.)


	7. Homecoming Improvements

"Yeah, so I'll have a large drink- Coke- a Crunch bar, a bag of M&Ms, a Snickers bar, a box of Sno Caps, Butterfinger Bites, Gummi Bears, and Twizlers… Hey, you guys want anything?"

Rose, Ethan's girlfriend, turned to face Layla. "Where does he put it all?" she whispered, hazel brown eyes widened comically. She turned back around to glance at Zach, Magenta, and Will, who were all standing in front of the counter, as Zach, as tall, lanky and undeniably skinny as ever, ordered all of his food.

"I've known him almost my enitre life, and I still haven't figured it out," Layla said with a smile. "I'm not even sure _Magenta_ knows."

Rose shook her head and grinned over at Ethan. "You have such funny friends," she commented, laughing, mostly to herself. She looped her arm through his, and they shared identical giddy grins.

Layla wanted to laugh, but restrained herself. Ethan and his girlfriend were adorable. And Rose was so nice! She didn't have a clue that they all went to Sky High and had their own powers; Ethan had explained to them ahead of time that he told her they all went to a private school out of state.

"Define 'funny,'" Warren grumbled next to Layla. The redhead shot him the evil eye and mouthed, "Be nice."

He rolled his eyes right back. "I'm just saying," he muttered, "We're kind of a bizarre bunch."

Rose, who had heard him, turned around and laughed. "You guys are great," she defended them happily. "All of you. There's nothing wrong with being a little quirky, seeing as how you guys are super-nice."

Without having to look, Layla knew Warren winced when Rose mentioned that they were "super-nice." As she'd just figured out recently, he had some sort of repressed issue with being referred to as nice. Not that Layla minded in the slightest what happened the last time she'd teased him for being nice. In fact, she was kind of hoping she would get the chance to kiss him again sometime soon…

Not that that would ever happen again. She just came out of a long relationship and….

Oh, who was she kidding? She was about 90-percent sure she had already had the beginnings of a crush on Warren, even when she was still dating Will. And, truth be told, they had broken up a week ago. It wasn't like she was rushing into a relationship or anything. She just had a harmless crush. That Warren may or may not have reciprocated.

At least, if the way he'd kissed her the night before, she was pretty damn sure he reciprocated.

Magenta paid for all of Zach's food, and Will just ordered a small bag of popcorn for himself. Rose and Ethan split a large Diet Coke and a medium bag of popcorn, and Layla bought a small one for herself, along with a medium drink. Warren hadn't wanted anything, so without wasting any more time, the seven set out for the movie theater.

Magenta had made perfectly sure her best friend wouldn't feel uncomfortable, and while Layla appreciated this, she didn't want to put anybody out. That was why she felt slightly embarrassed when Magenta practically pushed them into a line so Will was on one end and Layla was all the way on the other end, next to Warren and Magenta. Zach, of course, sat next to her, with Rose on his other side, and Ethan next to her, and Will next to him.

"It's really not that big of a deal," Layla muttered into her friend's ear as they sat down in their seats. Luckily, there were only a few other people in the theater, so they had their pick of seats. "I would've been fine if I had to sit next to Will. It's not like we're gonna start World War III if we're within ten feet of one another."

Magenta waved a hand. "It's better this way," she responded. "I know you guys are more mature than all of that, but I still want everybody to feel as comfortable as possible. You're good at acting like you're perfectly relaxed, but Will's a bad liar. You can always tell when he's uncomfortable. He gets all flustered and gets klutzy and doesn't watch his strength."

Layla smiled. "I know, it's just…" she trailed off, unsure how to handle this delicately. "You're not very _subtle_ sometimes, Mag. And that can make things uncomfortable, too."

"Blame it on Zach," Magenta replied with a knowing smirk. "He must be rubbing off on me."

"Oh, you know it, baby!"

Magenta swiveled around and glared menacingly up at Zach. "Shutting up now," he whimpered quietly, and went back to eating his candy.

"Good boy," she told him, grabbing a handful of M&Ms and smirking impishly.

Layla shook her head at her friends' quirky antics, and focused on the previews, popping a couple of kernels of popcorn into her mouth. She tilted the open bag of popcorn in Warren's direction, not bothering to take her eyes off of the screen.

He stared at her for a few seconds, then acquiesced and took a handful of popcorn. He kept his eyes glued on the screen, but leaned over to murmur in Layla's ear, "How's Homecoming going?"

Layla half-sighed, half-shrugged. "It's going well," she whispered back. "I didn't realize how stressful putting together a dance could be. And half of the people on the committee don't even want to help out during and after the dance- they don't want to leave their dates."

"Speaking of dates, you goin' with anyone?" Warren asked quietly. ""Considering you and Stronghold aren't an item anymore."

Layla could feel her stomach already twist and turn into knots, but she managed to respond, "No, I'm not going with anyone. Not that I'd be able to spend any time with them. I have a feeling I'll be running around the gym all night, trying to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Well, how 'bout we go together?" Warren offered, temporarily dragging his eyes away from the screen to look Layla in the eyes. "As friends."

On the outside, Layla arched an eyebrow, but there was a lot more interesting stuff happening on the inside. Her stomach was doing full-on backflips, her heart was all the way up in her throat, and she felt lightheaded. Somehow, her body had enough coordination to nod and reply softly, "Sure. I mean, so long as you would be okay with the fact that I won't be around very long."

"I think I'll survive," Warren told her sarcastically.

Layla scrunched up her nose. "Are you going to rent a tux?" she asked teasingly, recalling how adamant he was the year before.

"You'll just have to wait and see," he replied evasively.

Layla couldn't stop the giddy grin from spreading its way across her face. She was a patient girl. She had no problem waiting for whatever Warren was willing to dish out.

4

Once the movie was over, they walked back to their respective houses, with the exception of Warren, who headed off to the Paper Lantern to work the night shift. Magenta made sure to lag back and walk next to Layla the second Warren was gone.

"So," she began, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, "Did I hear you two in the theater correctly? Did Warren, Mr. Hothead himself, ask you, the Princess of Peace, to the Homecoming Dance?"

"We're only going as friends," Layla mumbled, praying that Will couldn't hear. He was only half a dozen feet in front of them. She knew he was way too nice to ever get openly jealous that she had so quickly "replaced" him... with his best friend.

"I don't care," Magenta said, gently elbowing her best friend. "I'm just happy you're moving on."

Layla smiled bitterly and replied, "Does everyone really think of me as this helpless flower power child who can't bear to pick up the pieces after my boyfriend broke up with me? I'm not-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Magenta said, stopping Layla before her voice could rise any higher. "I know you're not helpless- and, by the way, you're not helpless if you're a little upset you just ended a relationship without any warning ahead of time. It's _better_ if you act hurt- at least that way we know you're not bottling your emotions up. But, it's also great that you're willing to not let the fact that Will's dumb stop you from heading off to Homecoming with a date. In fact, that's kick-ass."

Layla laughed and shook her head. "It _is_ kick-ass," she admitted. "But it really is just as friends. Warren probably only asked me because he knows I'm going to be acting crazy all night, running every which way, making sure everything is perfect."

"That's because you need to take a breather every now and again," Magenta replied with a smirk. "You like to freak out if everything doesn't immediately go the right way, so that you totally forget about having fun yourself."

Layla was quiet for a while as they walked down the sidewalk. She was contemplating everything; so much had happened in the first month, and that wasn't even including all the work needed to be finished in class, as well as everything that needed to be put together in time for the Homecoming dance… Magenta was right. She did need a breather.

"I think the Homecoming dance this year will be fun," Layla finally said confidently. "We had a kind of rough year last year, and it's been… difficult these past few weeks, too. That's why we have the Homecoming. It'll be our chance to finally relax and celebrate the fact that we've come so far in one short year. Personally, I'm looking forward to it."

Magenta smiled, staring openly at Zach's back as the group continued their walk down the street. "Me too," she whispered.

Layla beamed down at her friend. Living the life of superheroes-in-training was tough, especially considering they were all teenagers. After all of this work, after kicking Lash and Speed and Penny and Royal Pain's respective asses, and Layla finally going out with Will, and Magenta and Zach dating, and Ethan getting a girlfriend, and Warren becoming social, only for Will to break up with Layla, and Will to also lie about something that was clearly going on, and Layla to start falling for Warren, of all people…

Well, the point was, everything was finally beginning to pay off. They were sophomores (plus one junior), and had _more_ than proven themselves in the past year. They deserved this chance to celebrate.

It was about damn time things started to look up and _stay _looking up.

She hoped.

4

**I told you this was going to be short. It's barely 5 pages long, and barely over 1,750 words. But there really wasn't much else to say. Originally, I wasn't even going to write the Magenta and Layla chat, which would've shortened it all the way to 3 pages and 1,100 words, but I'm happy I included it. It was kind of necessary, now that I've kind of realized where I'm going with this.**

**Though, I don't think there will be many more chapters after this. Maybe 3, 4 at most. And I have a very good feeling that these last three will be just on the Homecoming. Yeah, there will be a lot happening at this particular dance. Trust me.**

**Here's hoping I can pull it off…**

(Once more, because I can't stop rubbing this in, I _did_ pull it off! w00t! I'm awesome!

Ahem. I'm done now.

Anyway, I like writing Magenta. She's fun and quirky. I might actually write a oneshot- strictly oneshot, not like this- about her and Zach at some point soon.)


	8. HELLo, Homecoming Pt 1

Wow. There's only two more chapters to go... Can you believe it?! It's almost over!

Have no fear, for the all of three of you that actually read this fic. I have a oneshot that I'll post shortly after this is done. I've actually had it finished for a good three weeks or so, but I figured it can wait while I finish posting this bad boy.

Yay for completing things in a timely manner!

4

This year's Homecoming dance wasn't going to be anything like last year's.

Thank God.

After many harried hours spent after school, Layla and the rest of the students on the Homecoming committee had put together what they believed would be the perfect Masquerade Ball. That was the title they had settled on, and was proudly declared on all of the marquees the Art Club had built and painted.

Once Layla was assured that everything was perfect, an hour before the dance officially began, she headed back home to take a shower and get changed. She was the President of the Homecoming committee; she needed to look good.

As soon as she was out of the shower, Layla dried off and set to work fixing her hair. After drying her hair, she curled her hair and pulled it up into a bun, but still left a few tendrils falling around her face and neck.

The soft, demure hairstyle perfectly complimented the dress she had chosen. She and Magenta had gone to a mall in Philadelphia for the day, looking for dresses that would fit the masquerade theme.

The only thing Layla had made perfectly clear was that every person that attended the dance where a mask. They didn't have to wear the mask the entire night, but they were to at least show up wearing it. They could wear something as simple as your basic black mask or something fancy and complex.

Layla had bought her dress before she had found a proper mask, but she didn't care. She was too in love with her dress. Instead of picking a typical long dress, her's was short- only a inch or two above the knee- and… amazing. The fabric was made of soft satin, and was the color of peridots, a beautiful shade of yellowish-green, held up by two thin straps. Directly under the swell of her chest was an ornate green stone set in a gold broach. Attached to the broach and wrapping underneath her chest was sheer fabric in a few shades darker than the dress, that split down the middle and ended about an inch past the dress.

She bought a pair of gold, open-toed, strappy shoes with low heels that looked splendid. And only two hours after she and Magenta left the store with their dresses, she stumbled across the _perfect_ mask. It was gold, with intricate swirls etched into the fabric, with small faux emeralds dotting around her eyes. The mask only covered her eyes and the tops of her cheeks.

Typically, she was a very level-headed and down to earth girl. But there was something about that dress… Layla couldn't help but feel giddy.

This Homecoming dance would be the best in Sky High history. She would make sure of it.

Ahead of time, the gang had decided to meet up at Magenta's house. The six had decided not to put on their masks until they were about to leave for the dance.

As Layla walked into Magenta's house, after grinning timidly at Magenta's mother (a.k.a. the infamous superheroine, Sapphire), she stopped in the living room to take a good look at everyone. Magenta's father was taking photos of her and Zach in front of her mantelpiece. Magenta was clearly embarrassed, but Layla could tell she was just as excited. She kept glancing up at Zach adoringly.

Layla knew ahead of time what Magenta would look like, though. She had chosen a plain, strapless, all-black dress, but spent the day after with Layla again, making "adjustments" to the dress so it would be more her style. This meant updating the hem to a sharp, jagged diagonal that started just below her right knee and ended at her left ankle. She added a dark violet corset that complimented the purple, knee-high, faux-snakeskin boots, with a rounded toe and thick heel, as well as her mask, which was designed similar to mask the Phantom of the Opera wore, a purple mask covered with black lace that covered the left side of her face.

However, it was Zach's outfit that surprised Layla. He actually had on a normal black tux, only with a pale, lime green button-down and a neon green tie. It was nice, but still managed to show off that dorky, awkward essence that was Zach.

Layla smiled briefly at Will, who was busy talking to Ethan (Ethan was unable to bring his girlfriend, Rose, seeing as how she was only a 'citizen.'). The taller of the two was wearing a dark blue tux, white shirt, and bright red tie. Ethan, on the other hand, wore a brown tuxedo, pale yellow shirt, and burnt orange tie. Layla mostly grinned at that. Ethan always was so original and quirky, especially with his fashion sense.

There was something off with Will. He was… well, he was acting like he did the night he broke up with her. Jumpy and almost… nervous. Like he felt guilty for some reason.

Actually, when she thought back, Will had been acting like this _a lot_. He was also going out of his way to avoid her, at least more so than usual. She had known, way back when he first dumped her, that something was up. Now, she was beginning to get suspicious. When was the last time she had seen Will nervous? It had to be the night he'd finally decided to break it to his parents that he wasn't going to be a part of the Stronghold Three. And that wasn't even the kind of nervous she was seeing on his face at the moment.

For a second, Layla wanted to march up to Will and order him to 'fess up. But then she remembered that she had other things to worry about. Like an entire dance she was coordinating. Will was probably still feeling guilty he broke up with her, or something else completely mundane.

Layla didn't stop smiling, though. Even after everything, Will was still her first best friend and first boyfriend. She would never stop showing her support, but she did have other priorities. Like her date.

Warren was in the back, leaning against the wall by himself. Layla walked up to him, smiling widely, and told him proudly, "You look nice."

He was wearing the same black tux and white button-down as last year, the one he'd borrowed from his father, who was still in prison, busy with a quadruple life sentence. Only, this year, he'd pulled his hair back into a low ponytail for the occasion and chosen a peridot green tie.

Warren smirked down at her dress. He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out, so he cleared his throat and said, "You look better."

Layla felt a blush creep up all the way to her roots, but she kept eye contact with him. There was something about the way his voice sounded even deeper than usual that caused a shiver of excitement to run up and down her spine.

But, as she continued to remind herself stubbornly, she and Warren were just going as friends to the Homecoming dance. She needed to keep up that persona as 'just friends,' so she leaned up and gently tugged on his green tie with a wry grin.

"Green's a good color for you," Layla commented.

Another one of Warren's infamous half-shrugs. "Magenta bought it for me," he muttered. Was Layla imagining it, or was there an undercurrent of embarrassment in his voice? No, she had to be wrong… "She said something about already knowing what your dress looked like, so she got it for me."

Layla laughed. "Well, it suits you," she said. Softer, this time, she let her smile fade a little as she added more seriously, "I really do appreciate you doing this for me. I'll be spazzing all night, and I really want to thank you for asking me to the dance- even as friends- to make sure I don't go completely off the wall."

"You're already completely off the wall," Warren pointed out dryly. "I'm just here to make sure you don't snap and kill a freshman for accidentally spilling punch on the table."

Layla made a face, and punched his arm. "I'm not that crazy!" she replied defensively, unable to stop herself from laughing at her own stupidity.

"Keep tellin' yourself that, hippie."

"So, we're all here- we goin' or not?" Magenta said, a trace of impatience leaking through her voice. She stood with her arms crossed and smirk set fully in place. "Now let's put on our masks, if only to keep Layla happy."

Everyone laughed, including Layla herself.

They all attached their masks. The guys, not wanting to bother with much fuss, all bought the same simple, diamond eye mask, only in different colors. Zach's was neon green, Will's was blue, Ethan's was orange, and Warren's was black.

Then, they were ready to go.

4

The music was already playing, the food was out and ready to be eaten, the punch was just begging to be spiked, the teens were just beginning to pour in…

It was the makings for a perfect Homecoming.

And the best part of all? There was no Psycho Bitch to try and ruin everything for everybody.

While Layla appreciated every single person that had deigned to show up and thrown on a mask, she couldn't actually focus on having any fun herself.

For the first forty-five minutes or so, she spent her time- as she had initially predicted- bouncing around to all the committee people and their stations, like those selling tickets at the front door, or those doling out glasses of punch, or checking on the DJ, or making sure the food is still good.

There was so much she had to check up on that she forgot about everything else.

She forgot about everything else, that is, until Warren grabbed her arm at one point, stopping her mid-stride and mid-thought process. And when she finally made eye contact with him, her face crumpled with guilt.

"Oh, Warren! I'm so sorry! I lost track of time- the comedy and tragedy masks ice sculpture started melting, and then we started running low on those pigs in a blanket, and then a freshman on the committee nearly broke an ankle slipping on the puddle that came from the now solid ice sculpture, and-"

"Be quiet, Layla," he told her sternly, wrapping an arm around her thin shoulders and steering her determinedly towards the dance floor. The speakers, set up on either side of the DJ's booth, as well as another two set up on opposite walls. Currently, the music was blasting an old 90s hit- a classic slow song.

"No, no, no," Layla groaned, digging her heels in. "I don't have the _time_ to dance. Honestly! I can't dance- not now!"

"I don't know when the tables suddenly turned, but I feel the need to remind you that you're my date and, considering the fact that I put on a tux for you- _again_- I think I at least deserve a dance."

Layla was rendered speechless once more by Warren's infallible logic. "I-" she sighed, stopping when they reached the middle of the dance floor. All around them, couples were slowly dancing to the beat of the music. "I'm sorry I'm such a crappy date."

"Be quiet, hippie," he ordered gently, slipping his arm around the back of her waist and bringing her close. She placed one hand on his shoulder while he held onto her other hand with his own. Layla found that she couldn't break eye contact with him if she tried.

She also found that, the longer they danced- well, swayed- the closer she leaned in to Warren. And discovered that he certainly wasn't pulling away. In fact, as her eyes slipped shut, she could feel his breath on her face, and she knew she was millimeters away from kissing Warren. Thank God she had removed her mask thirty minutes ago, and he had removed his the second he'd got into the gym. Nothing would get in their way.

That is, until a hole suddenly appeared in the roof with an ungodly crash and some very surprising people jumped down.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to your new personal hell!"

4

**Dun dun dunn! Sorry. I had to. I've been planning it like this… well, only for a few days. But that's actually a lot for, the personally named Queen of Avoiding Preplanned Plots. Why bother with writing out what you're gonna write ahead of time? That's so boring and conventional! Then you'll know what's coming- which I make it my job never to do!**

**Oh, and on a side-note: I'm sorry that I may or may not have gotten into a bit too detailed, what with the dresses and everything. I didn't mean to, honestly. I know I shouldn't have, ****and if you guys don't like it, I'll try to trim it down, but for the moment, I lost myself in the fun of fashion and whatnot. What can I say? I'm a girl, and I love clothing (and shoes. Have I ever mentioned how much I love shoes?!)**

(God, I'm such a girl. Sorry about the clothing blather (again), but you can always skim over those parts.

This one turned out exactly as I planned it out, looking back, from the beginning to the middle to the cliffhanger-end. Yay me.)


	9. HELLo, Homecoming Pt 2

I know it's only been, like, 3 days since I've last updated this story, but today marks the one-month aniversary of this story, and also marks the second-to-last chapter of our story. It's probably one of my proudest works to date, not to mention my first fanfiction that is:

1.) chaptered,

2.) not a series of oneshots or loosely related oneshots, and

3.) completed.

Also, I just wanted to apologize for my inability to write proper action scenes. Believe me, I did try.

4

"Hello everyone, and welcome to your own personal hell!"

Layla, along with everyone else at the Homecoming dance, stared up at the ceiling, where their party-crasher (literally) had just appeared. She and her henchmen leapt down from the newly created sunroof and landed neatly on the DJ's table. Well, she did. Most of her henchmen stumbled on the landing and one fell down. Not that this woman noticed.

Magenta had been on the dance floor with Zach, pretty close to where Layla and Warren had been dancing. "Is it me or does that chick look freakishly like Royal Pain?" she asked, putting her hand on Layla's shoulder.

Layla squinted her eyes, willing herself to focus on the whackjob that had so rudely crashed her beautiful shindig. "She _looks_ like Gwen Grayson," she answered grudingly, "But… not."

This was true. The girl looked very similar to Gwen Grayson, Royal Pain. However, there were some differences. This girl was paler- and, even from some twenty feet away, Layla could see she had pale eyes, probably blue or grey, not brown like Gwen's. The long brown hair with straight bangs was identical to Gwen's old haircut, but they were built differently. Gwen was curvier, while this woman was much skinnier and taller, like a model.

"I realize that none of you know who I am," she said, grinning widely despite the crazed look in her eyes. "Well, with the exception of dear Mr. Stronghold."

Everyone swiveled their heads around to search for Will, but Layla was the first person to spot him. He stood by the punch bowl, clutching a demolished plastic cup in his fist. Layla saw pure, unadulterated hatred in her ex-boyfriend's eyes, but she also saw something she didn't expect from him: fear.

Will was afraid of this girl. That was more than enough of a reason for Layla to fear her, too.

Layla felt Warren's grip around her waist tighten. "What's going on, Layla?" he asked, and she was so close to him at this point that she could feel the deep reverberations of his voice as he spoke.

"I- I don't know," she told him, feeling completely and utterly helpless.

Even though it was an inopportune moment to reminisce, Layla recalled with perfect clarity the last time she'd felt this scared and helpless. It had been right after Royal Pain had thrown Will through the glass. In those ten, terror-filled seconds, it had felt like the bottom had fallen out from underneath her. She didn't want to lose her closest, most trustworthy best friend, even if he wasn't her boyfriend anymore.

"I realize that Mr. Stronghold has doubtlessly kept our relationship away from prying eyes," the tyrant began, walking slowly back and forth the DJ's table, keeping perfect balance despite the ridiculous outfit she was wearing.

She didn't bother with a mask, most likely so they would all notice her physical similarities with Sue/Gwen. She wore a shiny, silver catsuit over which she paired black elbow-length gloves and thigh-high boots with four-inch stiletto heels. The black accessories didn't like any kind of fabric; if anything, they resembled computer parts, showing off what looked like computer circuitry.

"You see," she said with a cunning smile, "Mr. Stronghold is just as intelligent as his dear parents. More so. Once Miss Tenny and her cohorts were safely tucked away in prison, he decided to be thorough and make sure every single loose end was firmly tied. Unbeknownst to him, there were actually many, many loose ends."

She stopped abruptly, turning on her heel to face them all. "_I_ am one such loose end," she all but screamed. She stopped, composing herself, and continued, "My name is Lila Tenny. I am the daughter of Sue Tenny."

Layla's jaw dropped. Gwen had never mentioned anything about _that_.

"Did Stronghold ever tell you about that Gwen has a daughter?" Warren said, finally letting go of her, to her secret dismay. He didn't go very far- he made sure to step in front of her and Magenta, in the off chance this Tenny woman tried something funny. Zach did the same.

"No," Layla admitted forlornly. "But I should've seen it coming."

Why else would Will so abruptly break up with her? And Layla knew he was lying that night- she just couldn't work up the urge to try and force the truth out of him. She was too busy being selfish.

"Will found all of this out when he did some research on my mother," Lila explained brightly. "He discovered that I had been born less than a year after my mother's fateful fight with the Commander and Jetstream. And it wasn't hard for him to track me down."

Lila brushed a lock of hair out of her face and gave them all a twisted smirk. "I've been hiding in plain sight all of my life, posing as a citizen when, really, I'm just as powerful as my mother. No, that's not true. I'm _more_ powerful than my mother."

"My mother didn't think big enough. It never occurred to her the true power she could have had at her disposal. It did, however, occur to me. Which is why, when only a few short weeks ago, when Mr. Stronghold burst into my lair and singlehandedly bested half of my best henchmen, I was finally able to put my plan into action."

Lila laughed, but there was no actual humor in it. "It's funny, really," she said, still grinning like a lunatic. "If Mr. Stronghold hadn't burst through my door that day, it would a lot harder for me to accomplish what I have done. Isn't irony fun?"

Coach Boomer had managed to sneak through the crowed unnoticed by the psychopath ranting on the tabletop. "As soon as she's stopped talking, Hothead, get a couple of heroes and sidekicks ready to distract this psycho. From there, me and the teachers, as well as a few of our best and brightest'll take her down. Flower Power, be ready to make sure we get as many people out of here as possible." He glared at the group seriously. "Got it?"

They all gave short nods.

"Good," he grumbled, and slipped back to his original position with the teachers.

During this time, Lila hadn't stopped talking. "Now, you would've thought Mr. Stronghold would trounce me and that would be the end of it. However, as I've already mentioned, I'm a 'big picture' gal. So I already had a plan for what I'd do, just in case a situation like this ever arrived. Which brings me to finally reveal what my powers happen to be."

"My mother could telekinetically control all kinds of technology, which was how she was able to create the Pacifier. But does anyone know what a computer's worst enemy is? No, I didn't think so. The answer is _magnets_. If you put a powerful enough magnet real close to a computer, the little gadget gets shorted out. And as I've pointed out before, isn't irony _fun_?"

Turning her head just slightly, Lila caught sight of one of the speakers. Lifting her hand, the speaker floated off of the ground.

"With the ability to control any and all forms of metal, the possibilities can be endless." Lila tightened her raised hand into a fist, and the speaker was instantly crushed into a ball before their eyes. "This was what I explained to Mr. Stronghold that day. I can control something as large as a tank from as far away as a mile. And if I can do that, can you imagine what I could do to his pretty little girlfriend?"

Layla's breath caught in her throat. Why the hell didn't she think of that? Lila gave Will an ultimatum: girlfriend or dead girlfriend, and his solution was to get rid of the girlfriend so the sick freak would no longer have a human bargaining chip.

"Speaking of, Will, sweetie," Lila said, "Where _is_ that Layla girl? Shouldn't you be protecting her from big, bad me right about now?"

"We're no longer dating," Will said confidently, across all of the heads of hero and sidekick teens. "We got into a fight. I don't even know if she's here tonight."

Layla felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. He was protecting her, even now, when he had supposedly broken up with her nearly a month ago.

"Nice try," Lila snapped, dropping the fake smile. "But, remember, I can find her- and kill her- regardless of whether or not you're willing to be honest with me first."

"Too bad!"

Will launched himself at Lila, taken a flying leap, soaring over all of the students' heads and tackling her to the ground with a resounding crash.

From there, all hell broke loose.

Warren turned to face Layla. "Go get everyone out of here!" he ordered to her, over the sounds of screams and shouts. He pulled off his jacket and tie, and rolled up his sleeves.

"I-" Layla was frozen there. Everything was happening way too fast for her liking. But she could freak out later. There was work to be done. She needed to focus, and save everybody from this magnet bitch.

She turned to go with Magenta, but at the last second, Warren grabbed her upper arm. Using his strength and the momentum, he pulled her toward him so her body fell onto his. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist to keep her firmly in place, while his other hand cupped the back of her head as he closed the gap between the two of them in a possessive, greedy kiss.

Layla's eyebrows shot up while her eyes shut closed and her hands rested stiffly on his chest. She wasn't sure if she was going to push him away or pull him closer. Of everything she was preparing herself for, this certainly hadn't been it.

Warren pulled away, staring down at her with dark, determined eyes. "There's going to be a lot to sort out when this is all over, including finally getting some honest answers out of Stronghold. But before I risked my life to save his ass and everyone else's, I wanted to get the chance to do that."

Even with all of the chaos exploding all around them, Layla took a moment to wrap her arms around Warren's neck once more and kiss him for all he was worth. She kept the kiss short, but still needed to take a couple deep breaths before she could reply unevenly, "Good luck. Try not to get yourself killed. You'll be disappointing a lot of people."

Warren laughed as she extracted herself from his grip and grabbed Magenta once more, who was in the middle of rolling her eyes exasperatedly at the two of them. "Romantics," she mumbled disgustedly.

"C'mon!" Layla called, dragging her over to the gym exits while Zach stayed behind with Warren to kick some Psycho Bitch ass. Like last year, the emergency lock down bars had been lowered, only this time she was banking that Lila only had to use her mind, not a couple of villains-in-training, to lower the bars.

Ethan had followed helpfully behind them. Layla faced both him and Magenta and ordered, "Alright, I need you two to slip through the bars. You're both more than tiny enough to fit. From there, you've got to make sure we have at least one exit to get out of here."

They nodded, Magenta leaning down to morph into her little, purple-streaked hamster, while Ethan automatically melted to the floor. The two scrambled away, effortlessly slipping through the bars.

With an exit out of the building in sight, Layla needed to get these gates open for everyone who couldn't shift or melt into something tiny. Luckily for her, she had bought half a dozen potted ficuses as decorations for the dance, so she had to reason to worry about not being able to use her powers to the full extent.

Back in the sixth grade, Layla had been forced to present a report on the Amazonian Rainforest and the pythons that lived there. One thing she had learned was that the pythons that hung from the trees were sometimes mistaken for the thick vines that cloaked the rainforest. On a whim, she had decided to try her hand at these scary vines, and she found out she was pretty good at creating them.

Layla summoned these thick vines in her mind, and they instantly sprung up out of one of the ficuses. Two more followed quickly behind. She made the vines move so they were wrapped around the bars of the gate. The vines were so thick and strong, she would use them to rip apart the gate in two-

"What do you think _you're_ doin'?"

Seismic and Shock. Because her night couldn't _possibly_ get any worse.

"I'm saving my friends," Layla growled. She didn't have to be telepathic to know that Lila bitch had paid off these wannabe villains to work for her.

Shock laughed and put his arm around her chummily- way too chummily. "No, you're not," he told her.

"Oh, yeah?" Layla countered. She didn't bother making any more fake small-talk; she rammed her hand up so the heel of her palm collided with his nose. She was rewarded with the sound of a sickening crunch as the cartilage in his nose most likely shattered, but didn't celebrate her victory. She grabbed his shoulders roughly while he was busy clutching his nose and crying, and smoothly sunk her knee into his lower abdomen.

Backing away, she glared at Seismic. "I may believe in peace, but no one gets away with threatening _my_ friends," she snarled.

"Whatever, bitch," he snapped, clenching his fists. "Prepare to be _rocked_ and _rolled_."

Layla actually had to pause for a second. "Are you kidding me?" she asked in disgust as she rolled her eyes.

She remembered how easily Seismic was defeated when he was busy causing mayhem and not paying attention to what was going on around him. Layla used this opportunity to grab one of the heavy metal platters and slam it down on Seismic's head, effectively knocking him out. She tied them up with a few more vines she'd conjured from a nearby ficus and got back to work.

All around her, chaos was in full swing. Lila had about fifty or so trained henchmen at her disposal, but they were no match for a bunch of well-dressed, pissed off, superhero teenagers.

In only a matter of a few minutes, most of the henchmen had been suitably (and violently) dealt with. Less than a dozen remained, and even then, they weren't much to worry about.

Lila was the only one giving them trouble. All of the teachers, as well as Warren, Will, and dozen more of the Sky High's best heroes, were working together to bring her down. The problem was, the bitch just wasn't staying down. Three or four heroes would hit her with their best powers, and she'd be on the ground for maybe a second, and then she would start mentally throwing all sorts of heavy metal crap at them and they'd back off once more.

Layla couldn't focus on their issues. She and her vines had successfully managed to pry open the bars on one of the exits, and began to quietly usher some of the frightened students in small groups through the hole she'd carved, telling them, "There'll be a girl in a purple dress and a guy in a brown suit that'll lead you to the nearest exit. If anyone else tries to stop you, don't hesitate to use your powers."

She continued to push as many people through the gate as possible, barely pausing to relay the proper warnings anymore. She just wanted everyone the hell out of there, the sooner the better.

But she stopped thinking about everyone else when she saw Warren go flying through the air. She didn't even know how, but it was like she had an internal radar in her body. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Lila throw a speaker with the force of a small tank at Warren's chest. The force was so strong that it literally catapulted him off of the ground and threw him across the room, crashing against the wall with a heart-wrenching thud, sliding down twenty feet or so before finally crumpling into a heap on the floor.

What many people weren't aware of was the fact that superheroes (and sidekicks) didn't _just_ come readily equipped with their own individual powers. No, they also had thick skin. How do you think so many of them survived radiation poisoning? It took a lot to knock out heroes, but the problem was, this same thing applied to villains (i.e., why Psycho Bitch II hadn't dropped dead by now). They could sustain injuries like any normal person, but they had vitality that far surpassed those of normal citizens.

That was why Warren only walked away with a few scrapes the first time he tussled with Will, and he was thrown against a wall, fell onto a table, and later went on to be thrown through several walls.

Needless to say, Layla was pretty freaked out when Warren didn't immediately stumble to his feet after being thrown. As a matter of fact, she completely forgot about the other students she had been leading to safety, and rushed to kneel by his side without thinking twice.

"Warren," she said softly, cradling his head in her arms so he was resting in her lap sideways. "Warren, you have to wake up." He didn't respond, and her big eyes grew even bigger. She lightly slapped his cheeks, but that proved to do nothing.

"Warren!" Layla half-yelled, half-pleaded. She didn't even care that a few of the students had stopped their mad haste out of the gym to peer curiously down at the "hippie" redhead who was practically in tears over the resident "badass." Normally, she might've laughed or even been insulted by how effortlessly they put labels on everyone, but now she was too worried about her friend.

Friend? Screw that. He kissed her. Twice. She wanted the chance to return the favor once more.

"Wake up, you stubborn, angry pain in the ass," she cursed, willing the tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes back into her head.

"I take… offense to that," Warren grumbled slowly, blearily blinking up at her as he reached up to tenderly massage the back of his head. "Unless I have worse injuries than I thought and am hallucinating, I was just thrown across the room. Be nice to me."

Layla let out a nervous, breathy laugh. "Well, you are," she said simply, cupping his cheek so she could better examine what would eventually blossom into a pretty black eye. Leaning down, she pressed her lips softly on the bruise. "I forgot to add hopeless, too," she added, eyes twinkling. "And nice."

Suddenly, the room broke out into excited cheers all around them, effectively shattering the mood. Layla straightened up, pleasantly pleased and equally proud to see the results. Will had defeated the evil Lila with the help of- ironically?- Jenna Frost. Will had fought and distracted Lila long enough that Jenna could get close for a really strong blast of her awesome freezing powers. And, judging by the human icicle, Layla was guessing they wouldn't see from the Spawn of Satan any time this century.

However, Layla was grinning for an entirely different reason when she saw Will lean over and shake Jenna's hand. The pale blonde giggled at whatever he had said, and, talking animatedly, they began to edge away from the crowd, the mess at hand seemingly forgotten.

Looking around, Layla tried hard not to laugh at the gym. All her work… all of the Homecoming committee's work… gone. Everything was trashed, half of the students had escaped, intent on fleeing from Lila, and the other half that was left looked like they had all been hit by a hurricane.

"I gotta say," she mumbled exasperatedly. "I'm starting to think this might be a trend. I think my class has brought with us a curse. We can't have a genuinely good Homecoming."

Warren snorted, but said nothing.

"I know one thing," Layla said, looking around the room.

Warren stared up at her, curious. "What's that?" he asked tiredly.

"There's not a fat chance in hell I'm going to get reelected for Homecoming committee president next year."

4

**Ooh, this one turned out to be pretty long, too. I'm kind of impressed.**

**Did I ever mention to you guys how much I think I suck at writing fight scenes? Because I'm about 90-95 percent sure I royally suck at writing fight scenes.**

**Ironically, a majority of my favorite TV shows/movies/books incorporate a lot of fighting, so… Yeah, I suck.**

**I do like this. I think. Maybe. A little.**

**Anyway, there are only one chapter left. Wow. There's only one chapter left.**

**Oh my God.**

**I know no one will read this, but I'm getting kind of teary eyed.**

**I've **_**never**_** written a continuous chaptered story this long before. Even the one that I've finished wasn't really a chaptered story in the normal sense of the word/phrase. I just write one-shots, okay? I don't **_**ever**_** finish anything. Other than one-shots, because it's a tiny plot in one, itty-bitty 10-page format. Okay, normal one-shots aren't 10 pages, but mine have been before. That kind of thing is pretty normal- for me. **

**I'm going to finish an entire story! **_**And**_**, I'm going to finish it before posting it online, so there's no pressure! And I never once went on a six-month break where I forgot about writing because I had writer's block. I finished something in a timely manner!**

**Wait. Let's celebrate that **_**after**_** I've written the last chapter.**

**Yeah, those of you who actually bother to read my incoherent ramblings, expect to read something exactly like this on the next chapter. Only, it'll probably be in all caps, because I'll be **_**that**_** happy I finally finished a CHAPTERED FIC. I'm just like you guys, for once in my life! I feel like breaking open the champagne and throwing a party!**

**w00t!**

(I'm neurotic and proud. You can't blame a girl for freaking out once in a blue moon because of that, can you?

Oh, and again. "Me" plus "fight scenes" equals "suckage." My bad.)


	10. A Happy Ending for Almost All

Yes, this is the fabled last chapter. Regardless of any of the mistakes, I couldn't be more proud about this story. I really turned out great for my first ever attempt. The entire time I was writing this, each time I finished a chapter, I kept thinking, _Okay, one chapter down, but how many more pages can I write before my muse craps out on me and I'm left with another unfinished fic?_

Yes, because I am _that_ optimistic about my own abilities. :-\

Anyway, to celebrate, I'll be posting a Warren/Layla oneshot I've had on my computer for a while now, so... look for it! :)

4

It was Sunday. Thankfully, Lila Tenny was in prison, locked up with Seismic and Shock and all of her little henchmen losers, along with her mother and _her _henchmen.

Turns out, crazy Lila Tenny was born barely a year before her mother's own weapon, the Pacifier broke thanks to the Commander and backfired on Sue, turning her into a baby. Lila was promptly shipped off to foster care, where she went through one foster home after another. She had issues from the beginning, but somehow managed to keep her powers hidden from all of the people she knew. But she didn't actually have the clear psychotic break they had all witnessed at Homecoming until a year ago, when she saw her mother being locked up in jail and went off the deep end.

Lila apparently did some research, connected the dots, and decided to finally start following in Mommy's unhinged footsteps.

Everything was back to normal.

Well, sort of.

Layla looked up from the crappy paperback novel she'd bought in the gift shop. It was a poorly written romance novel about a beautiful redheaded nurse who'd fallen for her patient, a handsome man who had been in a car accident and badly injured. The man was going to be sent to jail as soon as he healed, about to be wrongfully convicted of murder (any similarity to real persons, living or dead, was coincidental and not intended by the buyer- ha). Sadly, she couldn't stop reading the shitty thing.

Warren had been shipped off to the hospital immediately after Lila had been incapacitated by Will and Jenna Frost. Layla hadn't left his side the entire night, much to his chagrin.

If there was one thing Warren hated more than being called nice, it was being babied.

Warren was sent to the hospital with a concussion, along with a few shattered ribs, a severely bruised collar bone and a broken arm. Luckily, he appeared to be healing amazingly fast, no surprise considering he _was_ a hero.

"Can I leave yet?" Warren asked her impatiently.

Layla smiled, but didn't look up from her book. "The doctors said they won't be able to release you until the afternoon. !2 o'clock at minimum. It's only…" she paused to glance down at her simple silver watch with mother of pearl face. "9:45. You have at least another two hours and fifteen minutes to go."

He grumbled, but didn't bother to say anything more. Layla peeked up at him, and was unsurprised to see he was busy glaring down at a crappy paperback of his own. It was some kind of mystery-thriller she thought he would like. He hadn't complained about the book at least. That was one thing.

And he also wasn't complaining about her company. He may not have liked being babied, but he certainly didn't mind her specifically. Layla didn't pretend as though she hadn't noticed; while he spent all of his spare time groaning about when he could finally leave the hospital, but he never said anything about how much time she spent in his hospital room in the past 48 hours.

There was only one point where she actually left the room of her own volition, other than the times when his mother came in to visit or his doctors needed to check up on him. That was when Will came to visit, the afternoon before. He and Warren talked for a while, but then he asked speak to Layla and they left the room, walking down the hallway in search of privacy.

Will apologized to her. For everything- Lila, not telling her about Lila, breaking up with her because of Lila, avoiding her- all of the crap he'd done in the past month and a half.

Layla had forgiven him, of course. He was still one of her oldest and closest friends. She wasn't going to stop talking to him all of a sudden just because he lied to her in a poor attempt to keep her from getting used as one of Lila's pawns.

However, when he tried to insinuate that they could get back together, if she wanted to, she was forced to draw the line there.

"I know you only dumped me because you wanted to save me," Layla told Will quietly as they stopped in the middle of the hospital's hallway. "But when you did, I realized that some of what you were saying was true. You remember when you told me that you needed to understand yourself better first before you could continue our relationship?"

Will nodded wordlessly.

"Well, after we broke up, I figured out that I needed to understand myself, too. And I actually learned a lot. One of the things I learned was that you and I… we just don't work anymore," Layla said sadly, reaching out and holding one of his hands in her own. "You're still my best friend, and I wouldn't trade that for the world, but I don't think you and I could work as a couple. We've grown up in a year, and that can bring changes."

Smiling drily, she added, "Besides, I think you would work so much better with a certain icy blonde." She winked. "I saw you two at Homecoming. There were sparks."

Will laughed at her, clearly happy to have his best friend back, with no repercussions. "Those 'sparks' were nothing compared to what was going on with you and Warren on Friday. If what I had was sparks, you guys had an entire fireworks show."

Layla blushed and rolled her eyes dismissively. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, lying badly.

Will continued to tease her as they walked back to Warren's room, and he and Warren had another long conversation before he said his goodbyes and left the room.

Dog-earing the page in her book, Layla closed it and stood up, leaving the paperback on her plastic chair. She walked over to Warren's bed, and hopped onto the left side with him. Draping a casual arm over his pillow, she nudged him with her side and said, "You know, we never talked about what happened right before you went off to fight Lila."

Warren looked up from his book to shoot her a quizzical look. "What happened?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing.

Layla rolled her eyes. "Knock it off," she replied.

He continued to look confused. "I can't remember," he told her. "I got a concussion, or did you forget, too?"

She lightly slapped his arm. "Stop being an ass."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Warren replied, keeping up a perfect poker face. "I'm being perfectly honest right now."

"Really?" Layla said, arching her eyebrows. "Because I think you would want to remember the part where you kissed me."

"I kissed you?" he asked suspiciously. "Funny, I thought _you_ kissed _me_."

"So you _do_ remember!" she cried triumphantly. Narrowing her eyes, she added, "But you kissed me first."

"You kissed me afterward," Will countered evenly.

"Did I say I didn't?" Layla replied, smiling down at him superiorly.

"I can't remember," Warren replied, his voice deepening significantly.

Layla's brown eyes twinkled. "Well, let me remind you."

In one smooth move, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Warren's mouth. She tilted her head, slipping one hand to gently trace his strong jaw line with her thumb. He encouraged her sudden affection, wrapping his left arm- the one not in a cast- around her waist.

This was the first kiss she and Warren had shared that was relaxed and comfortable. Every other time, it had been passionate and hot and quick and totally frustrating. Layla found it very nice to be able to kiss him with as much languor as she wanted, without any concern for time or their impending doom.

That was why, a few minutes after resurfacing for the air they both needed, Layla found herself smiling happily.

"You wanna meet up with me at the Paper Lantern tomorrow, after school?" Warren asked her, speaking raggedly.

Layla tilted her head, breathing just as erratically. "You don't work on Mondays," she said, confused.

The corners of Warren's mouth tilted up into an amused smile. "I don't," he replied. "I meant as a date."

Layla laughed, a little giddily, but at the moment, she didn't give a damn how girl she sounded. "I'd be delighted," she replied, smiling down brightly as leaned down once more to kiss him.

Okay, so her life was far from perfect. In fact, her life was way too confusing to be healthy for a girl her age, but she was more than prepared to roll with the punches. After all, she had a boyfriend who was now a best friend once more, a friend who was now a boyfriend, another Psycho Bitch safely behind bars, and a few more close friends, all with adorably baffling relationships of their own.

Life was pretty good.

4

**This isn't actually the first copy of this chapter. The first chapter was somehow eaten by my computer a few days ago, which caused me to nearly have a coronary, because I was already three pages in and had been working on it over a period of time, so I didn't remember everything exactly.**

**I decided to rewrite it today, and I think it turned out pretty damn good, considering I had to start it all over again, and I ended up making quite a few changes, and shortened it much more than I had initially anticipated. But I did know it was going to be short. It's a final chapter- I just needed to tie up the loose ends.**

**That said… oh my God. I finished an entire story! A chaptered story! I'm so proud of myself!**

**And, even better- I didn't have any ridiculously long pauses or hiatuses, and because I made myself finish this before I posted it, I didn't have to worry about reviewers threatening to kill me because I lost interest.**

**I even finished this in a timely manner. It took me about a month to write ten chapters. Of the same story. Without losing interest or starting something new. Wow. That's awesome for me.**

**But now it's time to 'fess up. Overall, I think this kind of sucked, regardless of what you guys may (or may not) think. Partly, I think it wasn't super great because it started out as an oneshot that became a sequel that turned into a trio that eventually snowballed into an entire chaptered fic. That was probably mistake number 1.**

**Mistake number 2 has to be the fact that I don't make any sense, do I? In… Christ, almost 4 years of writing, I should probably be better at this. At least, I shouldn't be making these kinds of plot mistakes. But I did. And I do want to apologize to everybody for that.**

**Lastly, I want to say I'm sorry about Warren. I think I did a pretty good job at conveying his personality, but I'll be totally honest when I say that I think he was out of character a few times. I wish that wasn't true, but…**

**Ah, screw it. I'm happy I finished this piece of crap, bad writing or none. :D**

(Uhh… Like I said. w00t!! GO NEONAILS!! SHE CAN WRITE AN ENTIRE PLOT!!

Hahaha. She wishes.)


End file.
